The perfect pucker Kissable lips are easy to have if you just take a little care. This is the same family of viruses which causes genital herpes . They are contagious until the blisters completely heal over, usually after about a week. Many people have the herpes virus. Most of us develop antibodies to keep the virus under control.
Cold sores clear up on their own after a week or so.
This may shorten the duration of the attack, or even stop it altogether. Keep using the Zovirax according to the manufacturer's instructions. You could also take ibuprofen to ease inflammation and hold an ice cube on the affected area to bring short-term relief. See your doctor if you have any new, unexplained symptoms, or if the cold sores are unusually frequent, accompanied by fever, headache or muscle pain, or they contain pus instead of clear fluid. Most of us worry about bad breath or halitosis, in fact according to Mintel market analysts, in 1998 we spent over 67 million on breath fresheners and mouthwashes.