Icing cold sores:
It works.
Ice can provide relief from your cold sores.
While applying ice or a cold compress to a cold sore is a widely recommended method for reducing redness, pain, and swelling, the following studies and endorsements attest to cryotherapy’s effectiveness in potentially stopping the development of a cold sore or potentially shortening the duration of a cold sore when used at the first sign of symptoms.
Cold Sore
a group of fluid-filled blisters appearing about or within the mouth that are caused by the herpes simplex virus HSV-1 and upon rupturing form crusts
Cryotherapy (krī-ō-ˈther-ə-pē)
the therapeutic use of cold
50 to 80% of U.S. adults have HSV-1, the main virus that causes cold sores. About 20 to 40% of these individuals develop cold sores, usually before the age of 35. Cold sores typically recur three to four times a year. Some people may develop more than one cold sore per month.
The Herpes Simplex Virus can’t survive in cold temperatures.
Two doctors observed in the 1950’s that the Herpes Simplex Virus, which causes cold sores, needs warm temperatures to survive and thrive. The doctors, who published their findings in the Journal of Immunology, injected four tissue samples with the virus and stored them in temperatures ranging between 77°F and 104°F. After three days, the researchers found that the greater the temperatures of the tissue samples, the more virus was present. In fact, they reported that the cultures kept at 77°F produced “little or no virus.”
Articles printed by Harvard Health, Tufts Medical Center, and the university of Wisconsin-Madison suggest using cryotherapy for cold sores.
“Applying ice at the first sign of tenderness or tingling may help shorten the duration of the sore, or prevent it from becoming a full-blown cold sore.” [FOOTNOTE FOR FURTHER CONTEXT - this is not an endorsement, there is no double-blind study, this is not medical advice. please consult a doctor]
“If you feel tingling in the usual place but the blisters are not yet present, apply an ice cube or ice pack continuously for 20 minutes. This may stop the infection from progressing.” [FOOTNOTE FOR FURTHER CONTEXT]
University of Wisconsin–Madison
“Apply ice for five to 10 minutes each hour during the tingle phase to numb the area and slow the development of the sore by decreasing the blood flow.” [FOOTNOTE FOR FURTHER CONTEXT]
Articles in The Lancet and other medical journals indicate that icing may stop a cold sore from forming.
In The Journal of the American Dental Association reported that cryotherapy applied via a CO2 stick during the early stages of cold sore formation stopped the cold sores development, based on a study involving nearly 130 patients. “Recovery from herpes simplex of the mouth occurred within 24 to 48 hours when cryotherapy was applied within three days of the appearance of vesicles. In all but two of the 127 patients treated, a single treatment was sufficient to stop the morbid process. When treatment was applied at the onset of prodromal symptoms, vesicular formation ceased.”
In The Lancet, Dr. Sanford Danziger discussed his success at treating developing cold sores in 14 patients with ice packs. Each patient applied an ice pack continuously for 1.5 to two hours within 24 hours of experiencing initial symptoms. All 14 patients were completely healed of the cold sores within one to two days. Dr. Danziger later stated that a 45 to 60 minute application of ice could heal a cold sore, provided the patient did this shortly after the onset of symptoms.
[Danziger, S. (1978). Ice-packs for cold sores. The Lancet, 311(855): 103]
Dr. David Zimmerman, a practicing physician, medical journalist, and an advocate for icing cold sores, asked readers to write to him about their experiences with this treatment. 26 people wrote that either they or a family member used ice to treat a cold sore; 25 had great success, while one person reported limited results. Zimmerman, who reported his findings in The Lancet, suggested that the only reason the ice treatment was not clinically investigated further was that there was no money to be made from its use.**
[Zimmerman, D. (1978). Self-Treatment of cold sores with ice. The Lancet, 312(8102): 1260. 10.1016/S0140-6736(78)92138-4]
In The Lancet, Dr. Ian Wilson reported similar success in treating 5 patients’ cold sores with ice packs. He called the effects “astonishing” and noted that he had used ice to eliminate his own recurring cold sores in as little as 18 hours.
[Wilson, I. (1979). Self-treatment of cold sores with ice. The Lancet, 1(8116):613. 10.1016/s0140-6736(79)91042-0]
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This is not medical advice. Please consult a doctor.
**Current medical advice is to not ice longer than 15-20 minutes and to stop if you feel discomfort or numbness
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Icing cold sores:
It works.
Ice can help your cold sores in two ways.
While applying ice or a cold compress to a cold sore is a widely recommended method for reducing redness, pain, and swelling, the following studies and endorsements attest to cryotherapy’s effectiveness in potentially stopping the development of a cold sore when used at the first sign of symptoms.
Cryotherapy (krī-ō-ˈther-ə-pē)
the therapeutic use of cold
Endorsements from Medical Authorities and Academic Institutions
“Applying ice at the first sign of tenderness or tingling may help shorten the duration of the sore, or prevent it from becoming a full-blown cold sore.”
“If you feel tingling in the usual place but the blisters are not yet present, apply an ice cube or ice pack continuously for 20 minutes. This may stop the infection from progressing.”
University of Wisconsin–Madison
“Apply ice for five to 10 minutes each hour during the tingle phase to numb the area and slow the development of the sore by decreasing the blood flow.”
Cold temperatures’ influence on the amount of herpes simplex virus produced in infected tissue:
Two doctors observed in the 1950’s that the Herpes Simplex Virus, which causes cold sores, needs warm temperatures to survive and thrive. The doctors, who published their findings in the Journal of Immunology, injected four tissue samples with the virus and stored them in temperatures ranging between 77°F and 104°F. After three days, the researchers found that the greater the temperatures of the tissue samples, the more virus was present. In fact, they reported that the cultures kept at 77°F produced “little or no virus.”
The effectiveness of cryotherapy for cold sores
A 1970 article in The Journal of the American Dental Association reported that cryotherapy applied via a CO2 stick during the early stages of cold sore formation stopped the cold sores development, based on a study involving nearly 130 patients. “Recovery from herpes simplex of the mouth occurred within 24 to 48 hours when cryotherapy was applied within three days of the appearance of vesicles. In all but two of the 127 patients treated, a single treatment was sufficient to stop the morbid process. When treatment was applied at the onset of prodromal symptoms, vesicular formation ceased.”
In the January 1978 edition of The Lancet, Dr. Sanford Danziger discussed his success at treating developing cold sores in 14 patients with ice packs. Each patient applied an ice pack continuously for 1.5 to two hours within 24 hours of experiencing initial symptoms. All 14 patients were completely healed of the cold sores within one to two days. Dr. Danziger later stated that a 45 to 60 minute application of ice could heal a cold sore, provided the patient did this shortly after the onset of symptoms.
[Danziger, S. (1978). Ice-packs for cold sores. The Lancet, 311(855): 103]
In the August 1978 edition of Ladies Home Journal, Dr. David Zimmerman, an advocate for icing cold sores, asked readers to write to him about their experiences with this treatment. 26 people wrote that either they or a family member used ice to treat a cold sore; 25 had great success, while one person reported limited results. Zimmerman, who reported his findings in The Lancet, suggested that the only reason the ice treatment was not clinically investigated further was that there was no money to be made from its use.
[Zimmerman, D. (1978). Self-Treatment of cold sores with ice. The Lancet, 312(8102): 1260. 10.1016/S0140-6736(78)92138-4]
In the March 1979 edition of The Lancet, Dr. Ian Wilson reported similar success in treating 5 patients’ cold sores with ice packs. He called the effects “astonishing” and noted that he had used ice to eliminate his own recurring cold sores in as little as 18 hours.
[Wilson, I. (1979). Self-treatment of cold sores with ice. The Lancet, 1(8116):613. 10.1016/s0140-6736(79)91042-0]
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