Question:
I am wondering if anyone has suggestions as to what to do once the cold sore has formed on your lip and has puss (sorry, yuk!) in it but hasn't broken yet?

firstly, does this (the puss - again yuk!) need to break and get out of their for it to heal or can it heal and go away with it not breaking??

second, if/once it does break what is the best course of action? does Abreva or Novitra still work at that point and should they continue to apply or is it "too late", and you should just let it scab and deal with the fact that its going to have to go through it's own healing timeline without using any product??

any response from someone with just general info., or in particular regards to the Abreva or Novitra would be greatly appreciated!

J.

Answer:
i get big cold sores. until now, they have never had any puss. they do, however, have a relatively clear liquid inside. from what i have gathered, it is highly contagious. that liquid can spread the outbreak easily. i, from personal experience, try to very carefuly pop them (i am not recommending this, it's my own choice to). and keep them clean. i feel as they take longer to heal when the blisters are filled. in any case, what works for some does not necessarily work for others. i have read of some breaking the blisters and getting a bigger outbreak. about the products you mentioned, i have not tried either. so far, what is working best for me (not cheap) is to take aciclovir daily as suppressive therapy. read my other posts, they talk about my experiences.

take care