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About Cold Sores
If you get cold sores, you may feel alone — but you’re not alone at all. Between 20-40% of Americans suffer from recurrent, cold sores.10
What causes cold sores?
Cold sores are caused by a virus called herpes simplex virus type 1. 6,9 Unlike the virus that causes colds or the flu, the herpes virus stays in your body for life. When the virus is not active and not causing symptoms, it’s called “latent.” But, even when you don’t have symptoms, the virus can become active and cause a cold sore.1,6 (Learn more about cold sore triggers.)
What You Can Do About Them
There is currently no cure for cold sores or the virus that causes them.6 But, for adults and children 12 or older who have recurrent cold sores, Denavir® (penciclovir cream, 1%) can help them heal when they do reappear.4
You can take control. Denavir cream reduces the duration of cold sores and the duration of the pain they cause.4
Be ready. Have prescription Denavir on hand so you’ll be ready to start treating when your next cold sore begins.
Denavir has not been shown to prevent the spread of the virus that causes cold sores, or to prevent cold sore outbreaks.
Symptoms
Cold sore outbreaks often begin with tingling, itching, and/or burning sensations before any visible signs appear.1,6
About a fourth of outbreaks don’t progress beyond the tingle. In those that do progress, a cluster of painful, fluid-filled blisters forms in the area where the tingle occurred. The blisters, which can vary in size, eventually begin to break open, forming erosions that can be tender. The erosions, which are sometimes called lesions, quickly dry out, forming a crust that eventually becomes a scab. The scab becomes smaller as the cold sore heals.1,3,6
Cold sores usually heal within about 2 weeks.1,6 From the time the tingle starts until several days after the cold sore heals, the virus can still be spread to others.6
There are other conditions which may cause lesions that resemble cold sores. If you experience symptoms that may be recurrent cold sores, talk to your doctor or dentist. He or she can provide a diagnosis and discuss your treatment options.
Denavir has not been shown to prevent the spread of the virus that causes cold sores, or to prevent cold sore outbreaks.
Triggers
There’s never a good time to have a cold sore. Still, cold sores seem to appear at inconvenient times — like vacations or times when you’re feeling stressed. That’s because certain situations can activate the cold sore virus, causing a cold sore to develop. Some common triggers include:1
- Emotional stress
- Feeling tired or “run-down”
- Exposure to sun or ultraviolet light
- Sickness, such as cold or flu
- Mouth injuries and dental work
- Hormonal changes, such as menstruation and pregnancy
Talk to your healthcare provider about what may trigger your cold sores. And ask if Denavir® (penciclovir cream, 1%) is right for you.
Be ready. By keeping prescription Denavir on hand, you’ll know you’re ready for your next cold sore outbreak.
Denavir has not been shown to prevent the spread of the virus that causes cold sores, or to prevent cold sore outbreaks.
Glossary
Antiviral: medication that reduces the activity of viruses in the body.
Cold sore: blister-like sores that appear on the lips or face and are caused by the herpes simplex virus; cold sores are sometimes called “fever blisters.”
Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1): virus that causes cold sores and stays in the body for life; it does not cause symptoms when in an inactive, or latent, state, but may cause cold sores when reactivated.
Latent: in an inactive, or dormant, state; latent herpes simplex virus does not cause symptoms even though it is still present in the body.
Placebo: a treatment used in a clinical study that does not contain medicine.
Recurrent: describes a condition that reappears; recurrent cold sores are caused by reactivation of the herpes simplex virus in the body.
Topical: application to a localized area of the skin.
Virus: microscopic organism that infects cells in the body and can cause infectious diseases and conditions; examples of conditions caused by viruses include colds, the flu, and cold sores.
