How To Find Remedies for Treating a Fever Blister

A fever blister or more commonly known as a mouth sore, is a sore that usually occurs inside the mouth and around the lips. This blister usually occurs on the lip, which prompts some people to call it a blister lip or blister mouth. Fever blisters are caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV), more commonly the type one HSV. This virus is mostly spread through kissing.

Canker sores are usually mistaken for fever blisters. You should know it's a fever blister if the sores are inside or around your mouth and accompanied by fever.

Your immune system is actually enough to suppress the virus and the sore will heal on its own in due time. The virus however, can remain dormant in a nerve in your cheek until such time that your immune system becomes weakened by stress or another illness, in which case the sores may reoccur in your mouth. There is no cure for the HSV virus but there are medicines and treatments to relieve the discomfort and pain that comes with the fever blister. Listed below are some remedies you can use to help with the pain and the healing.

1. Camphor - Rub camphor onto the cold blister three times a day or as needed. This provides immediate symptom relief. You can also use a product called Campho-Phenique that contains a type of anesthesia, which numbs the area and relieves the pain.
2. Aloe - Another method for blister treatment is using aloe gel fresh from the plant. Rub aloe gel as needed onto the sore and leave the residue.
3. Vaseline and Lemon Balm - Vaseline and lemon balm have often been used to relieve the symptoms of blister lip. Lemon balm is known to be effective against herpes simplex, while Vaseline will moisturize the area and will help ease the pain when the blister starts to dry. Mix 4 drops of lemon balm extract with one teaspoon of Vaseline and use it as an ointment onto the blister as regularly as possible. Apply this mixture only when the sore starts to dry out. If the sore is still fresh or is still open, use the baking soda-salt water mixture or simply use pure lemon balm extract.
4. Baking Soda and Salt Paste - Make a paste of baking soda and water and salt and leave it on the sore until it dries. The HSV virus thrives in an acidic environment, the baking soda increases the pH of the area making it less conducive to the virus' reproduction. The virus also survives in moist environments, which is why it develops near the mouth. The salt in the mixture once it has dried onto the sore, is hygroscopic, meaning it takes water away from the sore and absorbs it. A combination of the two ensures that the virus does not survive in the immediate area. You can also mix in a bit of lemon balm in this treatment to make it more effective.
5. Fever Remedy - To remedy the fever, and the headaches that come with it, try to drink an analgesic like aspirin. This reduces the fever and helps with the headaches.

In the end, remember that a fever blister is a viral infection and not bacterial. It cannot be remedied by antibiotics and can easily be transferred from one individual to another. In the course of treatment, always make sure that all utensils that you use are exclusively for you and are not being used by another person. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure as they say.