Today's a great day for a cold sore! NOT!! If you're feeling that burning or tingling sensation on your lip and you can't get to the doctor or the store right away, read on for some cold sore treatments using things you probably already have in your home. If your cold sore has already blistered, then skip down to the bottom part of this article for ways to care for cold sores using items you likely already own.

Treat this article as you would advice from a friend. Try one or several of the tips below. Do what feels right for you. These tips are things that have worked and are recommended by ordinary people.

Cold sores generally clear up on their own within 5-14 days. However, the Mayo Clinic recommends you seek medical advice if:

• Your immune system is compromised by a pre-existing health condition

• Your cold sores do not clear up within 2 weeks

• You are a frequent cold sore sufferer

• Your eyes become irritated with your cold sore outbreak.

Treat the Tingle as Soon as Possible

Of course, the best cold sore treatment involves maintaining your immune system so you're not vulnerable to outbreaks. Unfortunately, if you feel a cold sore coming on, the maintenance ship has sailed and you either missed the boat or got tossed overboard at some point. I'll cover maintenance and prevention in another article. Don't worry--all is not lost! There are a number of effective home remedies to help prevent or shorten the appearance of Mt. Vesuvius on your lip.

For best results, begin treating your cold sore as soon as you even think you feel a persistent tingle or burning on an area of your lip or nose. As with many other illnesses, early detection and treatment are key to success.

When you first feel the onset of a cold sore,

• Immediately ice the area for as long as you can tolerate the cold or 10-15 minutes, maximum. Allow the area to warm up and repeat several times. This may prevent your cold sore from erupting. If you still experience an outbreak, early icing may help limit tissue damage from your cold sore. If your lip is irritated or dried out from the ice, apply liquid Vitamin E on the area. If you have Vitamin E capsules, you can pierce one and use the liquid inside.

• As an alternative to ice, apply rubbing alcohol to the tingling area with a cotton swab several times a day. Hold the swab on the tingling area until it feels "hot". Do not re-use the cotton swab!

• Avoid touching the tingling spot with your hands and wash your hands immediately before and after applying medication or treatment. You can spread the virus through kissing or by touching the area, and the contact can further irritate the sore.

• Rub juice from an aloe vera plant on the tingling area. Aloe gel also works. Aloe may prevent the sore from growing.

• Apply toothpaste (not gel) on the affected area.

• Maintain a healthy diet and get enough sleep. Make sure you're getting your recommended daily allowance of Vitamins A and B. In addition, about 30 mg of Zinc and 2000-3000 mg of Lysine daily can help get rid of cold sores.

• Only use this tip with extreme caution and never on sensitive, blistered or open skin because it may cause scarring. Some people apply finger nail polish remover to their cold sore. Use a clean cotton swab to apply and discard the swab after use. The nail polish remover will have a strong odor and may burn. Try to leave it on for 10 minutes to reduce swelling and soreness. Clean the nail polish remover off your lip and apply Nyquil on the area to soothe the remaining discomfort.

Get Rid of a Cold Sore Fast

Once your cold sore has blistered, the following are a few home remedies to help send it packing. Some of the tips above may be helpful as well. Using ice packs and applying toothpaste to the sore can minimize the duration of the blister. Obviously, eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and taking precautions not to spread your cold sore virus apply throughout the blistering phase as well.

• Pour boiling water over an ordinary tea bag and steep for several minutes. The cheapest black tea bags you can find should work fine. Allow the tea bag to cool, then hold it against your cold sore. Repeat a few times a day to aid in healing the sore.

• Use whole milk compress at room temperature on the cold sore. Wash the area afterward.

• Pick up table salt with your finger or a moist cotton swab and press into the sore twice daily for about a minute at a time.

• At night, apply gel antiperspirant to the sore. The antiperspirant will dry the sore while the deodorant is an antibacterial and will help prevent further infection.

• Use a mud-mask product at night to help dry the sore. During the day, mix the mud-mask with a little lipstick to camoflauge the sore and prevent oozing.

• Apply honey or a cornstarch paste to the sore.

• Apply witch hazel or spirit of camphor to the sore.

• Use petroleum jelly or unflavored lip balm with at least SPF 15 to protect your cold sore and your lips from the sun and wind. This may also help prevent the blister from forming a scab thereby reducing the length of the outbreak. You may want to use a clean finger or a cotton swab to apply lip balm to your cold sore to avoid spreading the virus to another part of your mouth. Be especially careful not to break any skin or rupture the blister.

• Be careful not to touch or irritate your cold sore when brushing your teeth. To help prevent reinfection, change your toothbrush once the blister is gone.

• Many people believe stress is a trigger for cold sores. If you feel especially stressed just before or during a cold sore outbreak, make sure you are taking good care of yourself and deploy your favorite stress-busting techniques.

As a long-time cold sore sufferer myself, I have never had a cold sore come at a convenient time. Try one or a few of the tips above when you feel that dreaded tingling sensation on your lip. Maybe it's late at night, the kids are asleep, your spouse is out of town and getting to a doctor, the pharmacy or a store is just out of the question right now. Each of these tips has proven effective for some people and chances are, one of them will work for you.

If you are a frequent cold sore sufferer as I was for many years, you might want to consider an ebook called Cold Sore Freedom in 3 Days. This method cured my existing cold sore fast and snuffed out each one since (at least three) during the tingling stage before I even felt a bump on my lip!