A wedding planner Nicola, 37, from Hampshire who had suffered from regular cold sores, sometimes as often as once a month, since she was 16 and dreaded having the 'cold sore' conversation at the start of new relationships, finds balm made from liquorice stopped her cold sore in their tracks.
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus, that lays dormant in the skin around the mouth and breaks out in cold sores sometimes as often as once a month for some people. Dating with herpes is notoriously difficult as when a cold sore is live, its very contagious so intimate contact is best avoided, which can be difficult to explain to a new date.
“I got my first cold sore when I was 16. I probably caught the virus from my mum as she has cold sores even though she was always very cautious around me and my sister when she had a live sore. Interestingly my twin sister has never had cold sores, says Nicola.
"It could not have been a worse age to get my first cold sore really. It made me feel self-conscious and dented my confidence at a period of life when confidence is difficult anyway.
My cold sores got worse and worse over time, especially once I hit 30. The breakouts became more intense and more frequent, often every 4-6 weeks, lasting up to two weeks at a time.
Once I had a break out in around of six large cold sores at the same time. My lips were swollen and felt like they were being stabbed by hot pins constantly.
Most recently I had a break out just after Christmas where one of the four on my lips was the size of a 10p, spreading down my chin. It lasted two weeks and the scar can still be seen.
Having cold sores dramatically affects my confidence and always has. When I have a really bad break out I will often feel physically ill at the same time with a cold like feeling and general lethargy.
The physical pain is sometimes so bad it keeps me awake at night. If I had a cold sore I would often cancel social or business plans and avoid contact with others as I didn't want to be seen in public.
When I did go out in public with them I avoided eye contact and always found myself apologising for the 'state' of my face. My job involves a lot of face to face contact and I was finding that the cold sores were affecting my confidence at meetings with clients.
Having the 'cold sore' conversation at the start of a new relationship can be so difficult. I have had guys in the past who have laughed at me and make negative comments that haven’t helped my insecurities about my cold sores. When you get cold sores on a regular basis it can’t fail to have a negative effect on a relationship, especially a new one, when close physical contact has to stop, for sometimes up to two weeks. The fear of passing the virus on can be all consuming at times.
Luckily, my friends and family are used to them by now and always tell me it does not look as bad as I think. I have realised people who care will see past them. I have found that being open with people helps open up channels of communication and then people understand. I worked in an office once where 75% of us suffered from cold sores so we had a good support network.
Any major event is always a nightmare if you get cold sores. Birthdays, Christmas, holidays, family events, dates. I always fear getting an attack at these times. Every other holiday would be affected by a cold sore because of changes in temperature.
As I have got older, I have learnt that I cannot miss out on life because of my cold sores, especially as they were getting more and more frequent, but it does affect enjoyment of special events. I love taking photographs as capturing memories is so important to me but having a cold sore breakout makes me feel ugly and not want to be in front of the camera.
I’ve never seen a doctor about my cold sores are I know what they are and how I got them and so over the years I had tried to self-medicate, knowing it would always be there.
When I say self-medicate I mean I have literally tried everything! Off the shelf topical ointments, lysine tablets, ice cubes, applying alcohol, patches, a very expensive light treatment machine, natural remedies of every kind! I have spent hours on Google and a lot of money on trying to find a cure.
About eight years ago I found a balm in a market on a trip to Morocco which did help reduce my outbreaks while the balm lasted but I had only purchased one pot and didn't know what the ingredients were so I could never purchase again.
But all that changed when I discovered Lip Q Liquorice Balm. My Mum found out about it in a health article and purchased one for me after I had had bad break outs for over four months in a row.
I noticed a difference straight away. I had a really bad breakout just after my Liquorice Balm arrived so I used it at every stage of the cold sore and I noticed it cleared up much quicker than normal. I quickly purchased four more balms to ensure I had one in my car, one in my handbag, one in the lounge, one in the office and one in my bedroom!" says Nicola.
Lip Q Liquorice Lip Balm contains a highly concentrated extract of liquorice helps protect lips from cold sores, according to a study carried out by the Herpes Virus Association. The lip balm was found to be effective in a double-blind trial, carried out by the Herpes Virus Association.
The balm reduced the severity and duration of outbreaks for over 73% of subjects tested and, furthermore, 83% of subjects using the liquorice balm reported experiencing less outbreaks than when using their conventional treatments. While using the liquorice lip balm, testers reported that on average their outbreaks were only half their normal length and the time between outbreaks was much longer.
The key cold sore fighting ingredient in liquorice is glycyrrhizic acid (GA). GA specifically targets the genes that are required to maintain the virus in its latent state by interfering with the production of special proteins that feed the infected cells. Research published in the US Journal of Clinical Investigation has shown that due to its anti-viral actions, GA has the ability to weaken the cold sore virus which lies dormant in the skin between outbreaks.
Unlike conventional treatments, due to its naturally derived ingredients, the balm can be worn at all times without any negative side-effects, meaning that it can be used in between cold sore outbreaks as a preventive measure.
Marian Nicholson from the Herpes Viruses Association says;
"We were aware of the research on liquorice and were interested in carrying out an in vivo trial. Quite often results which look impressive in a test tube are not as effective in real life testers. However, Skin Shop’s Liquorice Balm has performed well with respondents showing a marked reduction in severity and duration of their cold sore outbreaks. In light of this research we are happy to recommend this treatment to our members."
I didn’t realise quite how miraculous this balm was until I had the tingling of a second cold sore outbreak a few weeks later as I was getting them every couple of weeks by this stage," says Nicola.
"I felt the familiar tingle and burn that is the first warning of a nasty break out. I noticed the start of a bump on my lip (the early stages of a cold sore) so lavished on the Liquorice Balm all night. By the next day it had disappeared! I couldn't believe it!
This balm has succeeded in preventing my cold sores growing and bursting and turning into open sores that last two weeks or more before they clear up.
Since using the Liquorice Balm and despite exposing myself to a lot of sun, going through a stressful period of lockdown, and working long hours I have had no actual breakouts since I started using it. I have felt the tingle and a bump and then within 1-2 days it’s gone and it doesn’t blister.
This is unheard of for me since I was a teenager and I feel such a huge sense of relief.
I use the balm consistently throughout the day and ensure I increase the application if I feel the starting signs of a cold sore. For me it’s a totally life changing product.
I’m part of a Facebook Cold Sore Support Group of 1.6k members and have already told them about it. I would recommend this balm to any cold sore sufferers. Aside from the fact that it totally works, I also love the fact it is reasonably priced and a natural product and made in the UK.”
