Do cold sores happen to children? Would my child develop a red blister on his lip? Would it hurt? Would he need any medical treatment? Is it contagious? As a mom worried about her child’s health, a red blister on his lip may disturb her and she’ll be worried until she finds the right treatment for it.
What is a cold sore?
Cold sores are red blisters that appear on the lips or around the nose area. They can appear in bunches or just one at a time. Once you develop a cold sore in your life you will be more likely to develop them later on.
What causes cold sores?
Cold sores are caused by a virus called Herpes. The medical name of this infection is Herpes Simplex. It is a very common virus that hits most of the people. Even if the blisters disappear, the virus stays in the body and comes out another time. They are usually triggered by stress, sun exposure, sickness and tiredness.
Children may catch the virus if they get in contact with an infected person as drinking from the same cup or eating with the same spoon and fork or by kissing them or using same towels or napkins.
How to treat cold sores?
In most of the times, sores disappear on their own after one week. No medical treatment is necessary. You can follow the below steps to treat a blister:
Apply ice wrapped in a cloth to sooth the sore.
Use child lip balm to keep your child’s lips from getting chapped.
Reduce the stress: Talk to your child and try to understand his worries.
Don’t let your child pick the blisters. Picking on it may aggravate it and necessitate medical treatment.
Make your child wash his hands frequently and have him use a special towel for himself. Cold sores are contagious and he might transmit them to everyone in the house.
Keep your child from touching his eyes. You might put some socks in his hands while sleeping. In case the virus spreads to his eyes, call immediately your doctor. He might need antiviral drops.
In case the blisters get swollen, the doctor may prescribe some ibuprofen medicines to cease the pain and acyclovir cream to treat it.