How can I reduce the risk of cold sores after treatment?

Cold sores are a known side effect of surgical, laser and IPL treatments. You can reduce the risk by taking antiviral medication before treatment, or immediately if you notice the onset of cold sore symptoms after your treatment.

Cold sores appear when the HSV virus, which generally lies dormant in the nervous system, is reactivated by stress, infection, illness or injury. Surgical and cosmetic procedures that irritate and inflame the facial skin are common triggers for outbreaks of cold sores.

Antiviral medication

Antiviral medications suppress the activity of the HSV virus and can be used to either prevent or treat cold sore outbreaks. You can buy antiviral medications over the counter from pharmacies. Famciclovir (Famvir) 500mg, three tablets taken as a single dose, is effective to either prevent or treat an outbreak of cold sores

When to take famciclovir

If you frequently get cold sores and are about to have facial surgery or a laser/IPL procedure, you can take famciclovir about half an hour before your procedure.

If you develop cold sores after your procedure, take famciclovir as soon as you notice symptoms, even if they are mild. This will reduce the severity of symptoms and reduce the length of the outbreak.