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April 2, 2008, 9:00 am
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Does anyone know any products that will take away cold sores? I have tried rubbing alcohol before but it has a real bad burning sensation.

Also, how long will it take for the cold sores to go away using the products that you suggest?

I don't normally do much about cold sores, when I see the tell tale sign I try my best not to irritate it. In the past I have been squeezing, applying alcohol, that didn't really work. A little vaseline does help for me.

If you catch them early it is not bad. I use the generic Target brand fever blister medicine. I apply it every 1 to 2 hours and the sore is dried up in one day. After 2 to 3 days it is no longer noticeable.

Okay, this one may sound a bit bizarre but I swear it works. Take a dab of toothpaste (regular everyday paste, not gels or specialty brands)and put it on the cold sore. It will go away almost overnight. Something in the paste dries it right up.

I never thought toothpaste could be used as a treatment for cold sore. Maybe I could experiment on gasoline, just kidding. I'm using a menthol oil whenever I have cold sores and it does relieve the sore.

I have done the toothpaste trick, and it works!

Here are several other home remedies I found online at http://blog.worldvillage.com/health/the_dreaded_cold_sore.html

1. Ice and Tea. Take 2 ice cubes and put them in a zip lock bag. Put the bag on top of your cold sore and keep it there until the ice cubes completely melt. Next, take a warm tea bag and place it on top of the sore. It says to repeat this as often as necessary. We have done it in the morning and night and maybe once or twice during the day.

2. Put toothpaste on it. I read somewhere about putting bleach on the cold sore. Bleach kills everything. This sounded a little scary to me. One alternate suggestion was to put toothpaste (one with whiteners in it) on the cold sore. We tried that the first night after the Ice and Tea Routine.

3. Nail Polish Remover. My daughter has not been brave enough to try this one. I'm sure it would probably sting quite a bit. It works for some people. They say to put nail polish remover on a Q-tip and place it on the cold sore--leaving it for a few minutes. I read about many cold sore sufferers that swear by this method. Some say that they do it as soon as they start feeling the itchy developings the precede the cold sore's appearance.

4. Lysine. There are supplements available that you can take that help with eliminating cold sores or reducing the severity of them. I have not fully investigated this option. Some swear by this approach as well.

I have started seeing Lysine carried in lip balms now. I have tried one called Morgan's Lysine lip balm, which has helped a little. I still like the use of Tea Tree Oil.