Home : Health : Remedies : Cold sores : Cold Sore Clear Immediate

(64) comments about this tip

Cold Sore Clear Immediate

Submitted by hoosier7400

I was panicked to feel that first tingle, but I thought it would go away so I came to this website and attempted each remedy. I really had no results so I started trying different things. The thing that helped most was diluted fingernail polish remover and water. 

This is day one and I applied an hour ago. I just left it on and waited by the mirror panicking. It burned at first but, immediately noticed color returning to my lip. The swelling remains but the sores are gone. Now I just have a fat lip. Anyone know any remedies for a fat lip?

Visitors comments

confused Comments By: natty how long are u supposed to keep it on for? its not really burning but i think i can see it going away a little, not sure   nice Comments By: Xue me likey a lot! the fingernail polish works like a charm, especialy if you hold it there, although it does burn a little.   A life changer Comments By: Rachel i tried this method but used neat remover not diluted.Within an hor my huge blister had almost disapeard.I normally have a coldsore for 2 weeks and this is only the second day and it already feels like it's gone! Thank you-i'll never leave home without it.   works! Comments By: Anon so i started to get a cold sore yesterday, and was preetty stressed out about it! i tried nail polish remover because it was the closest thing to me, and the redness is pretty much gone! i just kept reapplying it whenever the slight burn went away, until i felt it looked good enough. the blister pretty much looks deminished, and the redness is gone. it's a bit swollen, but hey i'll take that over a cold sore anyday! i hope it looks this good, or better, by morning!   I agree Comments By: Judy I get cold sores every two three years and I recently started using the fingernail polish. the key is to use it as soon as you feel the tingle. I alternate with ice, polish and abreva. The sore is usually gone within two- three days.   WoW! Comments By: Anonymous Yea This is AMAZING! I just got 2 sores today because for the past few days i have had a fever....I was just searching the site for remedies and this is the best! I have the polish remover on a cottonball pressed on my lip right now! Thanks everyone!   This is REALLY GREAT!!! Comments By: Tina I noticed last night that I was getting a fever blister and I hadn't had one in a very long time it was hurting so BAD!! so I decided to look for a home remedy or something to try to get it to go away, when I found this, I must say I just got done putting the fingernail polish remover on it and it is barely noticable now and is just a little sore not n e thing like it was....although it stung I give it 5 STARS Thanks!!!!   yay Comments By: Kati I went to bed with one, woke up a few hours later only to find another one starting to come out, so I got out of bed to come see if there's better ways to get rid. I had no idea there would actually be a "cure", the second one is completley gone I must have caught it in time, the first one is going down and neither are itchy anymore! I used to have these a lot when I was younger and they are embarrasing, wish I had known this back then too! Thanks a lot ! P.S- it doesn't sting that much in the long run :P   dont buy expensive creams, use nail varnish remover Comments By: Moody Lady I can't believe how much money i have wasted at the chemist... have just tried the nail varnish remover and cant believe the difference.I wish had found this site before going to chemist. Only applied twice,all swelling gone and not half as sore. Stung a little but worth it for the end result. Thanks for this tip I will deffinitely pass it on to others and also save my money in future.   It's helping already Comments By: Anon I am desperate. This is the 4th fever blister I've had in two months. This one is the worst I think I've ever had - one was a huge fluid-filled blister on the outside and another on forming closer to the inside of my lip. I tried the Peroxide first on my blister. When that didn't burn, I tried the nail polish remover. It didn't burn either, but it immediately drained the blister so at least I don't look as horrible as I did. I will keep doing this. I am so sad and upset. I pray this works.   Thanks! Comments By: amy i felt that first tingle and got scared but i tried this and it worked! whoever wrote this is a life saver!   Get N Up set Comments By: Taylor i dont really dont c n progess but im keep trying wuts the issue   brill realy works Comments By: sean stings abit but mine went from red back to it normal colour in less than 10 mins hew ever came up with the idea of puttin on there lip to get read of cold sores was a gebius or just a wierdo as ild never of put it on if it wernt for this ive tried toothpaste and a few over things none work as good as this thou   Its like heaven in bottle Comments By: Shelbi Ive had fever blisters since I was 8yrs old. They usually come on strong and stay for 2 weeks at a time. This trick actually works!! It really doesnt sting that bad and i can already see some of the redness improving!! Thanks!! :)   Amazing Comments By: Panicked Bride I am getting married in 6 days and of course last night, pops up a fever blister, needless to say I was completely panicked! I jusst now swabbed some on my sore and already it has started to go down, it is not gone but it is going down which is a relief in itself!   wowwee Comments By: kitschy i was plagued with my terrible blistery cold sore for over a week till my daughter saw this site and recommended nail varnish remover. i didnt catch it in time with the L-lysine tablets which usually work at the first tingle. I recommend the neat nail varnish remover (get one with vitamins and aloe vera)- my cold sore was gone in a day - though it really stung when i used it first - i persevered applying it every hour or so - i have my life back!   its working just i have a swollen lip Comments By: Anon yeah I tryed this and my lip is swollen thats about it. it hasnt really gone down much but maybe when i wake up it will   suprisingly i have to admit it does work! Comments By: kat i never usually believe these things, but seeing as i was desperate i thought id give it a go! and seriously, it really doesnt particularly sting, and one of mine was actually a full blown open blister, and there both now pretty much gone! after half an hour no joke! :) and i had to say because i never believed it would work to be honest!!   This is the best thing ever! Comments By: kassykore I have tried SO MANY remedies for cold sores. I saw this one and decided to try yet another remedy. I put on the nail polish remover about a 30 minutes ago and noticed I didn't feel pain. I looked in the mirror and it has already shrunken 50% !!!!!!!!!!!!   Stupid swelling! Comments By: Anon My top lip is totally deformed by the HUGE swelling! It looks like i've had collagen that's gone wrong. Managed to not venture out of the house since it appeared tuesday, but i'm going on holiday tomorrow and look like a %$"!*& fish!! It seems to be drying up, but there's no sign of the swelling going down...I can cope with just a scab by covering it with make-up et, but this swelling is making me feel really self conscious.   Am I doing it wrong? Comments By: Anon I am so sad because I was really excited when I saw these testimonials. Unfortunately this trick did not work for me at all. I don't understand why it worked so well for everyone else....am I doing something wrong? I placed a cotton pad with nailpolish remover on it on the sore for an hour last night and again for an hour this morning with no results. It just stung a bit and made the rest of my lip swell... HELP!   answer this plse Comments By: blake does the nail polish remover work when it is a scab? i need an answer quickkkk im gettin desperate   How long Should I hold it on Comments By: adam I just wanted to know how long, or often I should put the Nail polish remover on my cold sore?   i'll remember Comments By: Shahid this remedy for next time, also aftershave or perfume has worked. But be careful because eventually the cold sores will get immune to this and won't be affected so try and limit it to special circumstances, well it depends on how often you get them. Thank you for this!   Lip swelling Comments By: Anon Take an antihisthemine every day until the swelling goes down - it really works.   hope this works. Comments By: Alyssa so i usually get cold sores twice a year. lately it has been once, but everytime i get one it seems to be 5 or 6 at a time and my lip gets so big i cant eat or talk. its horrible. This is my third day with a cold sore and the swelling has gone down a bit but ive tried everything. The green hot tea bag works pretty well but im hoping that this works, a fat lip and blisters are so unattractive. ill let you know how it goes.   ??? Comments By: anon I want to try this out, but i've read about the swelling... so I want to know: after how long does the swelling go down? I hope it doesn't take over an hour or so... someone please reply!! I really want to try this out, but first i wanna know how long it takes for the swelling to go down... SOMEONE PLEASE REPLY :) thanks in advance for the tip..:D   REALLY DOES WORK! Comments By: Grateful for nail polish remover Hello, I have suffered with cold sores for most of my life. I used to get them up to 10 times a year. The blisters are always large, painful and last for 3 weeks. That is from blister to scab falling away. I have found that taking lysine every day, avoiding caffeine, beer and nuts and using Purell hand sanitizer on my face daily. I have reduced the number of cold sores I get. When I do feel an outbreak coming on I now use the nail polish remover. I use the type that has acetone in it. I do not break the blisters but hold a soaked cotton ball on for up to 5 minutes at a time. These remedies have been a savior for me!   WOT ? Comments By: Aggravated. i tired this remedy. i used a q-tip first then a cotton ball and applied a large amount with the q-tip and then held down the cotton ball for 15mins. its been an hour since then...it still looks the same as it did almost an hour and a half ago...am i doing something wrong ? i just want the swelling to go down. i look like a fish. someone help !!!   help!!!! Comments By: help! i've tried ice...and it reduced it a little then i tried nail polish remover and it didn't look like that was working like everyone said it would and now i'm trying actual clear nail polish...does anyone know what i could do to get rid of it my boyfriend comes home 2nite and we have to take christmas pics and i don't want my have a big red spot on the side of my lip w/ it looking swollen!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!   Please work... Comments By: Summer I have been getting cold sores for years now and found absolutely NO cure for them! I just got through trying the nail polish remover remedy. I left it on for 30 min. and noticed the color was back to normal. I ended up popping mine to get a better reaction with it. If you do this make sure the fluid from the blister doesn't touch any other part of your body. It WILL spread if it does. Also no matter what remedy you use wash your hands before and after. I found that if you don't they will spread whether you pop them or not. If you are scared to do this you can also try putting ice on it for the swelling. It won't work as well but it will help. Christmas is tomorrow and we are visiting inlaws. I'm also going to try the peroxide/crushed aspirin/salt remedy for the swelling. Please work!   Nail Polish Remover WORKED Comments By: Amber Johnson I am shocked to say that the Nail Polish Remover TOTALLY worked. I've had a terrible cold sore on my top lip for 4 days now. The swelling has been awful. I read everyone else's comments on Nail Polish Remover and thought it was worth a try. I put it on a cotton ball, applied it to my cold sore for 5 min and within an hour I could see a change in my cold sore. It had changed in color and now blended in with my lip better it wasn't so white....it was also starting to dry up. Now it is 7 hours later and the swelling is completely gone. This totally worked. I used Nail Polish Remover with Aloe in it.   swollen Comments By: sara my body had a BAD reaction to this! my lip got incredibly swollen in two spots that it was even more noticiable. i even had to go to the doctor who said he'd never seen a lip so swollen from a cold sore before! i am not using this again!   people! Comments By: mag the best thing to do is to consult your doctor for treatment everyone is different therefore the results vary   ice Comments By: luke maumill use ice on all cold sores at there beggining stages one block every hour reduces swelling and does not bring out the blister just a little fat lip   amazing Comments By: nikki i used the nail polish remover for my cold sore and it was almost completely gone by the next day and i didnt even have the huge scab that i usually get after cold sores   I PROMISE THIS WORKS Comments By: matt I put peroxide and nail polish remover on a cotton ball and applied it to my cold sore for 5 minutes and in that time it hurt like hell , after the 5 mins i applied ice to try and prevent the puss from reoccouring , and after that my cold sore was not swolen , and wasn't pussy it was dried out and after this i am quite confident that this will work and remove it by tomorrow or the next day if i repeat this , thank you for suggesting this .   Hope it does work!!! Comments By: vaa I too have this fat lip with the blister right on top. It is very uncomfortable and embarassing. I had to go to work today, I was trying to hide from everyone. I have been using the Abreva, but it does not work. I tried Neosporin, but like others have said...I think it was feeding the little sucker. I just put some nail polish remover with a cotton swab, the pain and tingling is going away as I am typing this. I hope this does work and I can feel confindent again. I guess only time will tell....   The big 3: Remover, Abreva and powder Comments By: Edith I use a combination of Abreva, nail polish remover and powder. This sounds a little crazy but it works. I have a cold sore at the moment. The swelling began Monday and it's Saturday night now. My lip was really swollen Monday night. I VERY CAREFULLY (I cannot stress this enough - you cannot let any of the fluid touch your hands or any other part of the body because then it will spread) popped the huge blister and drained it out on toilet paper which I threw away in a plastic bag so no one else could even tough the tissue. Once I had drained it all I could, and this took more than half an hour, I used the nail polish remover. I literally sat here at the computer with the bottle and a Q-Tip and put the remover on every few minutes. Before I went to bed, I put the Abreva on -- a lot of it. When I woke up, it had begun to dry. I repeated the routine Tuesday night. I know this is disgusting, but I just now picked off the scab. And now here's the important part: I put the cheapest face powder on it I can find. As the area heals, some of the powder will stay on it...it kind of becomes part of the next scab. I work tomorrow, and with some more powder and a little lipstick I will look quite presentable. Don't get me wrong: It will still show a little, but it won't look horrifying. I've had these things for decades and I know that you absolutely HAVE to mess with them in order to clear them up, or at least have them look not so repulsive, within a week. Otherwise they will last for two or even three weeks.   It works!!!!!! Comments By: foxyfoureyes I came on this site desperate for some advice. I've been battling cold sores for nearly 20 years now, and nothing seemed to work. USE THIS REMEDY! I saw results immediately and an hour later it was practically gone!   COld SORES SUCK Comments By: Parrker I used this and its working but its stinging really bad. Man i woke up this mornin and i had 3 new ones and my old one. Its still stinging but they are still there. But thanks! 5 Stars   make aure it's got Acetone in it! Comments By: mustard Make sure the nail polish remover had acetone in it! If it's acetone free then you'll be wasting your time!   This is it! Comments By: myke Okay, where to start .. I get cold sores all the time and it always sucks right when you plan to be sexual with your other. I usually would have cold sores for about 2 weeks. I've tried everything from perscriptions to over the counter creams. I tried the nail polish remover and it worked decently well. It did burn quite a bit but it was well worth it. I put it on about an hour ago and it seems to be drying out. It didn't help the swelling to much but ice does the trick! Thank you very much!!!   amazing. Comments By: Danielle ive suffered for cold sores for a long time now, and ive spent loads trying to find a way of getting rid of them, this morning i woke up and my lip was tingling and i knew it was a cold sore my lip was swollen but ive just tried this and its stoped tingling and i think its going thankyou so much x   EHH Comments By: Anon justs held the polish there for a minute and it def feels like it is drying out, and one of my sores look a little smaller. I guess repeating this process will work more effectively?   Tips on Cold Sores! Comments By: Someone with cold sores Here's some info that I wish I knew a long time ago: -there is NO cure for cold sores. It's a virus and as of now there are no cure for any virus unfortunately. -"Lysine" an amino acid, you can buy at GNC or Vitamin Shoppe can be taken daily as a preventative measure. It will help reduce cold sores but remember cold sores are triggered by: stress, sun light/tanning, and for women, your menstrual cycle. There is no way to totally avoid it if you're infected with the virus. Lack of sleep (which causes a weaker immune system) will trigger it for me like clockwork! -"Valtrex" a prescription drug, is the most effective treatment. It's actually prescribed for Herpes Simplex 2 but it works for cold sores (herpes simplex 1). You need to take it upon the initial "tingle" IF your doctor will prescribes it to you..he might not, and take it 2x a day until you see the sore diminish. An older drug to use is "Zovirax". -ice helps but doesn't get rid of it -once infected, it can only run its course but trying to "shorten" the life of a cold sore is possible. -remember most over the counter stuff you see only helps with the symptoms and DOES NOT get rid of the cold sore. -doing something upon first "tingle" is very important! Usually after that...good luck to ya!   project varnish=coldsore vanish? Comments By: ljd 79 broke out in a big one,ice didnt stop it and zovirax has only eased it so im trying the varnish method as i type.will post results.   Huge sore/swollen lip Comments By: Atian My upper lip is swollen with a gaggle of sores. This all started on Monday. I've been putting abreva on like a maniac, tea tree oil and I even popped some with a lancet, but to no avail. It's still swollen, and crusty. I look like I was bitten by a spider then punch by a monkey(they hit hard). Is it too late to use nail polish remover? I need all the help I can get, I have a huge meeting in front of 40 people on Monday....lol... Life is too funny!   not too sure.... Comments By: Beth i tried the nail varnish remover and it started to take the swelling down, i held the cotton ball on it for maybe 3minutes then left it, the tingling stopped and it felt like the swelling was going down, then i looked in the mirror and found another cluster of blisters that had just formed. and the swellings got worse on the other one now. so annoying   hope this works Comments By: karl my cold sore is big and a different shade of red compared to my lip. if i apply nail polish remover today how will will it take for the colour to change   Wowza Comments By: :) Whoever came up with this idea is a legend, only had to do it once and i can already see the redness and flaky bits going, suh-weet! Me = :D   THanks so much!! Comments By: Anon Its my school prom in a week and i woke up crying this morning thinking I would have it for prom but after trying this remedy i immdiately felt the difference! Thanks your a life saver!   IT WORKS!! Comments By: Emily Genius! who ever came up with this. I just put it on my sore for 20 mins and the size has already reduced and the colour is lighter. i have suffered more than 20 years with these and this is the best thing i have found. woohoo   Ehh. Comments By: sasha The nail polish is a little dangerous for your teeth people. Be careful and use it scarcely. I currently have one that is beginning-- its just a bubble. The way that I take care of them is by putting water and salt every single day. Its gonna sting like crazy but then it goes away. I put salt on it and let it do its job and then I put abreva at night. I put carmex everyday as well. Other things you can do is-- a. baking soda paste b. toothpaste c. peroxide d. triple anti biotic ointment Good luck everyone!   Finally Some Hope!! Comments By: Twizzler Well first off I just want to say thank you so much to you hoosier from coming upo with this incredible method I woke up this morning with a terrible cold sore I was like OMG NOOOO so I quick got on here and started looking I jus tried your method and ALREADY now IU jus did this right now and it already looks a million times better.. Thanks again soo much...   Just about to start. Comments By: May I've read most things on the internet but nail polish remover is a new one. But reading all the other reviews about how much it stings made me hesitate. I have this huge cluster that's joining up and it's killing me! School is tomorrow and I'm already embarassed over it so I'll have to give it a go. I'll post results up in a sec.   i think i love you Comments By: hater of herper i had been using abriva and lysine, hoping it would go away soon. i tried this and now theres only a slight bump thats the same shade as my lip, instead of all red   WOW!!! Comments By: jay WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!! I cannot stress enough how happt i am!! I have been bed bound and house bound for 3 days and felt like my world was coming to an end! tries the tea bag thing, tried anti biotics, tried toothpaste no joy! tried the nail varnish remover, did it sting?? HELL YES!!! BADLY!! BUT SO WORTH IT, result is AMAZING! not sure whether to keep dabbing it on throughout the day? its completely dried it out and the unsightly muck has vanished! any advice??   Who'd a thunk? Comments By: Shade To say that i was apprehnsive about trying this is an understatement, but here's how it all went down, when i first noticed the bump at school yesterday i was panicked. I wanted to go straight home and find anything that would make it go away. I didn't actually feel any tingle or soreness before it appeared so i thought it was something else but no it wasn't so while researching how to treat it i found this. I didn't try it for a full day, because i was thinking about what sort of side affects it might have but by the time i got home from school i decided to just find the nail polish remover and apply. I made sure there was acetone in it, got some cotton balls and dapped away. I've only ever tried melaluca oil to get rid of it but it only knocks a few days off of the two week count and that just ain't enough, not when by the end of the first week it looks hideous and there's no way to hide it because you can't keep your hand over that side of you mouth ALL the time and eventually during those moments when it's not hidden some one will notice, says something and everyone sees it. Now i was really only writing that to pass the time because i've never really been good at the waiting game but now that i check it, it looks better and less noticeable then it was, my lip does look a little bit swollen but not by much and the stinging isn't too bad and i'm pretty sure we all want to know how the genius of a woman who came up with using nail polish remover, came up with it. Who would have thought that N/P Remover had healing qaulities? If any of my friend's ever gets a cold sore I'll definetly be telling them about this, and maybe after they stop looking at me as if i've just gone completely and utterly insane they'll try it. Loved the idea, thanks.   ouch i hate sores... Comments By: Olga i just tapped a soaking cotton ball in N/P remover to my mouth with a bandaid. Another thing i do is periodically check my blisters to pop any newly formed ones in order for N/P remover to do its magic to dry up the skin. another thing that works, i have done this many many times - clear nail polish. When im out and cannot keep applying N/P remover, i layer on clear nailpolish. It isnt very visible, blocks oxygen from the sores and dries sores at the same time. Just remember to take it off periodically, polish removes quite easily, and apply a new fresh coat. I hope it helps someone. It has been my life saver for a few years now.   Working already Comments By: Ellie I got a cold sore yesterday and woke up with another this morning, I came on this site and found the remedy and I have been applying nail varnish remover pretty much constantly for 30 minutes and have Already seen a difference, this remedy is amazing only wish I knew it before!   The nail polish remover trick does work Comments By: Mike The nail polish remover trick does work. I find these creams on the market are an over-priced waste of time. Coldsores need to dry up to be killed off, these creams MOITSURE the sores!!! Nail polish remover burns into them with the acetone. Yes its painfull but it does work, and thats a little price to pay in my books. One problem you may find is after using the nail polish remover on a sore, the sore may be very red and puffy. What I have found to help this after using the nail polish remover on the sore, get an ice cube, pop it in a bag, and press the bag and ice cube agaisnt the cold sore. This helps reduce the swelling and take away the redness. Try it, it works for me. Also, try reducing your food intake of foods that are high in Arginine. Nuts are one of the worst offenders. Hope ive managed to help.   Hoosier7400 Returns Comments By: hoosier7400 Thanks guys this is working still for me been trying it for years. The damn swelling is a pain, but the remover will drain the virus and dry it up. By the way, Im a guy lol.   it's working 100%/recomended Comments By: pamela i get coldsore very often...and i have it allready 4 2 day's on my upper lip..is red big and nasty...today i try the cure whit nail polish remover and i allready see the results...is allmost gone..thank you very much...who posted this is the best ......xxxxxxxxx