Combating Cold Sores in Children

Cold sores, also known as fever blisters, are small, reddish and slightly painful formations that appear on the edge of lips or on the inside of the mouth. Like adults, children are able to contract them as well. Interestingly, you don’t need a cold for them to appear. Or a fever. While unsightly and irritating, the good news is that cold sores generally last a week or two and don’t usually need any special treatment to get rid of.

Thanks to the easily spread herpes simplex virus, cold sores can be passed by kissing or by sharing the same eating utensils. Although they aren’t a big deal, it’s best to avoid getting them. Tempting as it is to cuddle and kiss our kids, if we have fever blisters ourselves, we should refrain from giving kisses on the lips and face and we shouldn’t share glasses or use the same eating utensils. That probably goes without saying, but did you know that the virus that causes cold sores can survive on fabrics? True story! If you or anyone in your house has a cold sore, do not let them share towels, washcloths or even dinner napkins and paper towels.

Reduce the chances of you or your child from getting a cold sore by keeping stress down, avoiding overexposure to the sun or getting sick. Make sure to have your child eat well, get enough sleep, and cope with daily stresses like balancing studies and work for example. If your child is prone to cold sores, make sure they put sunscreen on their face before going out in the sun as well as putting on a lip balm that contains sunblock as this may help prevent them.

Thankfully, most kids won’t need any special treatment from a doctor to get cold sores to go away. They will go away on their own. You can bring some comfort to the affected area by putting ice in a cloth and applying it to the sore. Pain can additionally be reduced by giving a dose of acetaminophen. Popsicle are also helpful and no child will ever turn it down. In the rare event that a fever blister persists, your doctor will be able to prescribe something for your child.

In the meantime, when you or your child has a cold sore, make sure to keep hands clean and avoid picking at the sore. Picking at it will not only slow down the healing process but it will also make it easier to spread it to other parts of the body, or pass it along to others.

 

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