Cold Sore Symptoms - What You Should Know About Your Cold Sores
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by: Denny Bodoh
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Cold sore symptoms occur as a result of the replication activity of the herpes simplex virus.
At the time the herpes virus first infects the body, it will choose a set of nerve fibers nearest the invasion site. This set of nerves will be the lifetime home of this virus.
Cold sores caused by this "family" will appear at the same site every time. Additional cold sore sites means there was a new virus infection at each of those sites.
The 5 cold sore symptoms listed next are the most common stages of most cold sores.
1. FIRST INDICATION OF PENDING COLD SORES.
The herpes simplex virus lives and moves within your nerve fibers. Because of this, you will notice advance warning of a pending attack.
Under the right conditions, the herpes virus comes out of hibernation to replicate. It hides in the roots of the nerves and now will squirm its way to the surface.
The early cold sore symptoms are a burning, itching or tingling sensation at the target site. If you act quickly, you can stop it cold.
Apply something cold right away. Ice works great - or use a cold can of soda. You will surely slow down the virus since it hates cold. Often you can prevent the sore from even occurring.
If you miss this opportunity, quite likely you will have a cold sore within two days.
2. RED PIMPLES AND SWELLING.
Hard little red bumps will start appearing. These are often mistaken for acne pimples. These are generally quite painful to the touch.
These pimples indicate the herpes virus has entered the nerve cells below the bump. Once in the cells, the virus forces the cell to create herpes clones.
The cells fill up with virus and cause the visible swelling of the area.
At this time, your immune system begins a full attack on the infected site. This will cause mild fever, head and body aches and lymph gland swelling under the jaw nearest the site.
Applying cold compresses will continue to give a lot of comfort and discourage further development of the sore.
3. COLD SORES OPEN UP.
When filled to capacity with new virus, the cells break open and spill out tons of new herpes virus particles.
You will notice a thick fluid weeping from the open wound. This is your immune system washing away as much of this foreign virus as possible.
This fluid is absolutely teaming with highly contagious virus. Wash your hands constantly when dealing with your cold sores. It is so easy now to infect someone else or another spot on your body.
Help your immune system along by continuously cleansing the wound using peroxide or alcohol soaked tissues. Keep some hand sanitizing gel on hand and with you at all times.
4. REPLACEMENT OF DAMAGED CELLS BEGINS.
The opening of the wound marks the end of the destruction cycle and the beginning of the healing phase.
The first thing your body does is cover cold sores with a scab or crust. Just like a bandage, this protects the wound from further infection from bacteria.
It is wise to oil the scab with olive oil to keep it soft and pliable. When allowed to dry out, these scabs crack. Not only is this quite painful, but it does slow down the healing process.
The infection is still quite rampant resulting in continued mild fever headaches, runny nose and painful lymph nodes. However, these symptoms will decrease quite rapidly each day from now on.
5. LONG AND FRUSTRATING HEALING PROCESS.
Within a week or so the scab will fall off revealing beautiful new skin. The skin will likely look slightly pink or red. This is a sign that healing continues below the surface.
This is the most frustrating time. You feel fine and your sore is hardly noticeable. You are again feeling energetic and confident.
But, you must still be careful, as you are still very contagious to others. The redness must be totally gone before you are totally free and clear.
This phase seems to take forever. You can speed it along by applying warm compresses as often as possible. Warm tea bags work great for this. And they contain some healing nutrients that will help also.
In conclusion, the above are the most common of the cold sore symptoms. Yours may be the same or slightly different. If much different, please contact a medical professional for further evaluation.
Also, it would be wise for you to seek and try some cold sore treatment remedies. The quicker you can heal your cold sores, and the fewer that you get, the less you will have to suffer these cold sore symptoms.
About the Author
Learn more about cold sore symptoms at Denny Bodoh's popular web site, stuffed with expert FREE info about Cold Sores. You will discover some amazing Cold Sore Treatment remedies you can use immediately.
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