Cold sores are an annoyingly persistent viral infection caused by the virus Herpes simplex. The virus travels down the nerve to target the skin and mucous membranes, occurring usually around the eyes, mouth, lips or genitals.

Cold Sores may come from childhood

If you suffer from cold sores you most likely caught the virus when you were a child. The first infection often occurs in childhood and is usually associated with a fever, sore throat, muscle aches, mouth ulcers and can even be mistaken for teething. For some, they might not come into contact with this virus until adulthood. After the initial infection this virus lies dormant inside the nerve cells and starts to move once more after exposure to certain triggers. When it is activated it travels down the nerve cell to the face and becomes an unsightly cold sore. You will experience: itching, tingling soreness, painful visible blisters and crusting.

Keep away from these:

• Stress: make a conscious effort to reduce stress in your life
• Colds, infections
• Insufficient good quality sleep
• Weather - avoid excessive exposure to the sun and wind – wear a hat and use sunscreen on your face and lips
• Menstruation – although of course this isn’t possible for girls
• A diet rich in L-arginine foods. Chocolate, nuts, seeds, seafood that has a shell such as shrimp and oysters and some vegetables such as: pumpkins, broccoli and carrots. Don’t forget though, these vegetables are important for good nutrition and have many other benefits

Support your Immune system

Supporting and boosting your immune system is one of the most important things to do in order to prevent recurrent cold sores. Stress really paralyses your immune system, so wherever possible, try to eradicate or reduce emotional and lifestyle stress. Nutritional deficiencies weaken your immune system, as do too much sugar and refined foods – these cause low numbers of white blood cells in your body, which are responsible for fighting infections.

Mr Vitamins recommends:

Blackmores Lyp-Sine

Formulated with nutrients to help provide relief from symptoms of cold sores

Find out more and shop online for Blackmores Lyp-Sine here