Not an immediate cure, but definitely helps.
Written: Jan 19 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tasteless, odorless, colorless, and very effective.
Cons: Kind of expensive
The Bottom Line: I absolutely recommend it. It will not knock your cold sore out immediately, but it definitely relieves the pain and cuts healing time in half.
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| dubya4472's Full Review: Abreva Cold Sore Treatment |
Like millions of other people, I suffer from the occasional cold sore. And when I say "occasional" I mean 1-2 times a year. Ever since I was a kid I've dreaded the changing of the seasons, because I always know that when the cold weather starts coming in, I'm bound to get a few cold sores. They start with a tingling and itchy sensation in your lip, then they develop into a big bump that itches, eventually they bust open and look like an open scab on your lip. Mine always last about 10 days. If you've never had one, then consider yourself very, very lucky. They are very painful, not to mention very embarrassing.
Well, one popped up this week, so I decided to go to the pharmacy to see what I could find to help alleviate the pain. I had heard of Abreva before and had seen the commercials on TV, but the $16 price tag for such a small tube made me think twice about it. In the end, I knew that I would pay $100 for something if I knew it would work, so a $16 gamble wasn't too bad.
Day 1: I've got that tingly-itch feeling, so I purchase and apply the cream. The tube says to use it up to 5 times a day. I applied it every 2 hours and again right before I went to bed.
Day 2: I woke up and it felt like it had rally hit a growth spurt over night. The thing was enormous, but it hadn't yet busted open, which is good. That's when it gets really bad. I continued to apply it all day about every 3 hours, and again before bed.
Day 3: I wake up and it feels much smaller than the previous day. I think this stuff is actually working. I go look in the mirror, and sure enough the sore is much smaller. And the best part.... It still hadn't busted open. It didn't itch, it didn't hurt, it was virtually painless. Just more of an annoyance (and wasn't too noticeable by other people). I continue to apply the Abreva all day.
Day 4: Wow!!! Its gone. Well, not completely gone, but almost. You can't even tell its a cold sore anymore. It looks just like a little bump on my lip, and you can't even see it unless you get right up close to it. And as far as it feels... it doesn't! It isn't painful at all, and I forget that I have it until I go to take a bite of something or a drink, then I can feel the small bump. I continue to apply it on the usually schedule though. 4 times during the day and 1 time right before bed.
Day 5: It's GONE!!!!!
You may be thinking to yourself, "hey, he still had this thing for 5 days". But, you have to put it in perspective. Abreva basically cut the healing time in half. Not only that, but the days that I did have it, it wasn't painful. The only day that it was semi-painful was day 2, and really only in the beginning of the day, by the afternoon it really wasn't bothering me all that much. In addition to being a pain reliever, it also kept the sore from busting open. That was a big thing, in my eyes. The most embarrassing part of a cold sore is when it scabs over and oozes out that clear fluid. My sore didn't do this, it just looked like a big bump on my lip.
I definitely recommend this product to cold sore sufferers. The key is that you MUST apply it a lot. You have to keep up with the 5 a day (if not more) applications. And as for the little bottle that costs $16... It is a little expensive, but there is enough to last at least 3 or 4 different outbreaks.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dubya4472
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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