Get Rid of Cold Sores Faster and Prevent Spreading.

There are many ways to get rid of a cold sore, usually the cold sore is caused by already irritated skin which allows the herpes virus to emerge and create a painful sore on the outside of your mouth. This is easily spread to other areas of your mouth and can be quite painful. There are several home remedies that can decrease the duration of a cold sore. here is a list of things that are somewhat affective in helping it not to spread.
Lysine which can be found in pill form or in a topical form at any health food store and some grocery stores.
An ice cube pressed to the area for several minutes will decrease the blood flow to the area and reduce the chances of the sore spreading.
Tea tree oil will help it to dry out faster and also helps to disinfect it.
Hydrogen peroxide will help it to dry out and disinfect the area.
WARNING: DO NOT APPLY ANY OF THESE WITH YOUR HANDS.

Step 1: Killing the Cause

freeze off or a generic equivalent should kill the virus from the wound and is a lot less painful then other methods I have used. Apply only to the affected area.

Step 2: Disinfecting the Area

You will want to use some hydrogen peroxide to disinfect the area so that you do not have any spreading. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and the rest of your face as well. do not apply hydrogen peroxide to areas that are not already erupted in sores as it will dry those areas and cause the skin to be irritated and more susceptible to cold sore eruptions.

Step 3: Sealing the Wound

This should prevent any new fluids from escaping your sore.. This is an extra precaution to prevent it from spreading.

Step 4: Healing the Skin a Bit Faster

Once it has scabbed over naturally and the new skin has flaked off you can use some vitamin e oil to help reduce scarring and promote the healing of your skin. It can be purchased at health food stores or if your thrifty rite-aid has it a lot cheaper for off brands and this is useful for other skin conditions also such as chicken pox and pimples. I hope that this instructable has been helpful.

Step 5: Untested Theories

food grade diatomaceous earth is known to absorb viruses and is used in water purification for this purpose. it could be used to absorb the fluid from the sore and mixed with tea tree oil could also dry out the sore so it heals faster. Funding being a factor i have not yet tried this method but i know that food grade DE has many other very good uses.