Cold Sore Treatment

Cold sores (herpetic lesions) are small blisters that appear on the lip and around the mouth as a result of an infection with the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1).

These outbreaks are VERY common, and it is estimated that HSV-1 infects 67 percent of the global population. Although there is no cure, the good news is that various treatments can reduce the healing time and decrease social stigma.

Cold sores generally begin to heal within a few days and disappear within a few weeks on their own. Creams and ointments can reduce healing times by 3-4 days, but we’ve discovered that recognizing the breakout early and administering laser treatment can shorten healing time by 1.5 days or prevent the cold sore entirely if caught in time. Patients who received laser treatment at the outset of the “tingling” sensation associated with an oncoming epidemic recovered successfully. A recent study conclusively revealed that diode laser treatment lowered the length of recovery time and the level of pain when compared to traditional medicated creams.