Canker Sores

P.,
It sounds like a cold sore/fever blister, if it's on the outside part of his lip. I get these too, and I've found that Abreva works good, and so does Terra-M. It seems like these meds shorten the life of the sore by a day or 2. If it is a cold sore, he will get them for the rest of his life. It's very contagious, he probably picked up the virus that causes it from another kid. Sorry it's not great news!

The L-Lysine vitamin worked for me. I used to get them a lot when I was really stressed out or had been eating too much acidic stuff - tomatoes, oranges, etc. Stress was probably my biggest trigger though. However, another cause was when I would accidentally bang my gum or my cheek with my toothbrush too hard or scrape the inside of my lip - those spots would turn into a canker sore. I never took the L-Lysine as a preventative but instead took it to speed up the healing and it worked. It probably won't make him feel better now but maybe he will grow out of it one day - I hardly ever get them now.

I used to get them all the time too. Fever blister or canker sores it is pretty much the same thing whether inside the mouth or outside. I have found L-Lysine (it is a vitamin) is the only thing that really works (and yes I have tried them all) for either one. I take two to get it started in my system when a blister is present and then one twice a day until it's gone. L-Lysine helps it clear up faster. If you continue for awhile with at least one a day even when you don't have a blister present it will help to keep them away. I use to take it every day for quite awhile but now, I only take it when I feel one coming up. You will find L-Lysine at most stores with the vitamins. It does not cost very much so it is a very inexpense, easy way to get rid of them. I realize that you will get many suggestions of all kinds but I promise you that L-Lysine will work! I am a nurse so this advice is not only from my own experince but also from the medical aspect. If you do try this make sure that even after it clears up have him keep taking one a day to keep them away. Here are a few of many links that you can go to that will tell you about cold sores/fever blisters:

http://www.faceityourefabulous.com/?page_id=261

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/fever-blister/f...

http://www.valtrex.com/coldsores/whatis_coldsore.html

http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/OC/Information/Oral...

I hope this helps you and God Bless, B.

They are a form of herpies, don't let that scare you. I deal with them all the time. Let him know sucking is lip makes it worse and bigger. There is some herbal meds you can get him to help clear it up faster. It is call L-lysine, you can get it at wal-mart. When he gets it or feels it coming on and trust me he feels it coming up. Take two pills that day and one everyday after and until it is gone. Once it is gone take one pill a day for two weeks and this will help clear it up and fight them off. I have also learned that some foods will cause me to have them, they are foods with a lot of acid in them. Also this is very important, he needs to never drink or eat after someone or let them drink or eat after someone. That is another way to get them. I know he is only 10 years old and hopeful not kissing girls yet but if so he can them that way and he can give them to the girl. He just be a carrier of them too. I am and have just learned little things like the herbal pills and the acidy foods cause them.

I hope this has helped. If you need to talk or have any other questions please e-mail me and I will try to help.
S. Jane

P.,
Are you positive that your doctor said it was a canker sore? Canker sores do not normally occur on the outside of the mouth. They normally occur on the inside of the mouth. Go to this site http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/mouth/cank...

This should help you a little more. I hope that it does anyway.
Here is another link that explains cold sores: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/cold...

My sister used to get those on her mouth a lot as a child and I remember that she would feel one that would be breaking out soon so she would immediately start applying carmex on her lips. This seemed to help a lot. The sores would sometimes be very small and unnoticable but even if they did get big enough to be noticed, they would disappear a lot quicker than they had before. She now keeps a jar of carmex in her pocket and applies it 2-3 times every day. She said that she rarely gets them now and when she does, they aren't big and painful as they once were. Maybe try this. It couldn't hurt anyway. Good luck.

Canker sores are also commonly known as fever blisters, or cold sores. They are a form of the herpes simplex virus. Don't be scared because I have now told you that your son has Herpes. Many people have this community aquired virus. This virus is easily aquired by something as benign as kissing a relative that has an active blister. Unfortunatly there is really nothing you can do about this unless you are willing to put your child on oral (by mouth) medication basically forever! There are some over the counter medications (abreva, carmex)that are said to help but really they just help deal with the discomfort that the blister creates, they do not seem to speed the healing process. Typically you will probably notice that he will get a blister after a stressful time or after having a fever relating to the common cold. On occasion you may see them erupt after his lips become dry and cracked due to cold weather. Please remind him and yourself that this is very contageous during the drainage stage you and others can easily "catch" this as well. Good news, I used to have them and they seem to have quit coming, but that does not always happen for everyone. unfortunatly that does not mean I am cured, they seem to have a mind of their own.

My youngest siter got these sores and they would turn nasty. An older doctor suggest putting vics just under the nose every night. I do not know why but it did work.

It's either a canker sore or fever blister, which could be the same thing. I always thought canker sores were on the inside of the mouth though, and fever blisters (cold sores) were what you got on the outside of your mouth.

I am knocking on wood as we speak because I am one of these fortunate people that get cold sores, frequently. I always have, since I was little. But, I don't just get one when they break out, I'll get two or three in the same spot making it huge.

Anyway, the best advice I can give you is this...ask your son to keep track of when he starts to feel the first tingle on his lip (which is what happens before they appear). Get some Abriva which can be found almost anywhere like Walmart, Walgreens, etc. and keep it handy. Have him use that whenever it first appears. Once you've had them enough, you know before it erupts on the skin.

As for where they come from, that's hard to say. If anyone in your family has ever had one and kissed him when he was a baby (and they didn't have to have a sore when they kissed him) he could have gotten it that way, as they are a form of herpes. Not the bad kind though, I know it sounds gross. They can be heriditary, or not. Like I said, I've had them all my life. My husband never got one until we were married for almost two years and we'd been together for a few years before that.

They can be brought on by a cold, fever, sunburn, or sometimes just stress. The only way to prevent them it seems is if you're going to be out in the sun, wear sunscreen on your face, and around the lip area sunscreen safe to be around the mouth.

Sorry for the novel, I just always like to try to help if I've been there done that. :o)

Acidic internal state can lead to canker sores.
With diet change and supplementation with L-lysine you can beat canker sores. You can find L-lysine at any health food store.

Check out Dr. Mercola's website for info on diet for your son.
He needs to eat a diet that is right for his nutritional type which will help him become more alkaline.

If these are cold sores/fever blisters then you can get L-Lysine in the vitamin section at wal-mart for them. They are a dietary supplement for your Immune/ skin health. It tells on the back of the bottle why you need to take these and also the suggested usage amount.There is not a suggestion for 10 year old but you could talk to the pharmacist there. Also goggle canker sores and i believe it tells which vitamin you need. Hope these help your son. Also in the hot sun please besure to wear lip protection with sunscreen. Stress is also that brings on cold sores.

Canker sores, fever blisters are a type of Herpes virus that never goes away. It lives in the coating of your nerves and can be aroused from any irritation. They can be prevented with L-Lysine, a natural water soluable trace mineral, available at a health food store ot vitamin counter. You can't over dose, but it's best to get a daily dose for a several months and then you can drop back to 2 to 3 times a week. For a child I would suggest at least 500 to 1000 mg a day. I have taken it for years and not had a canker sore since I started. I'm no doctor but have passed this info to many people with great success. Good luck.

This sounds more like a fever blister--caused by herpes simplex 1--not the same as causes genital herpes. About 90% of the population suffers from fever blisters. I do. I was probably exposed when a well-meaning aunt or grandmother kissed me when they had a fever blister. I have found that the best relief comes from using orajel! It numbs the sore. I alternate this with neosporin which takes care of any bacterial infection. Fever blisters are caused by a virus. There is no cure. But some factors seem to bring them on. For me, it is stress. For others, sickness, sunlight. Hope this helps. I believe canker sores occur mostly inside the mouth.

If his sore is on the outside of his lip and looks more like a blister then it is not a canker sore but most likely a fever blister. If it is inside his lip and looks more like an open sore/ulcer (yellow interior, red exterior), then it probably is a canker sore. Depending on how you answer that, you can then google to find out more information on the specific type of sore. Fever blisters are caused by a type of herpes virus and there are specific treatments that can heal them faster. Canker sores can only be treated for pain and will heal up on their own. In either case I believe there is not a lot that can be done to prevent them. Hope that helps!

I think a canker sore is another name for fever blister which is another name for the herpes virus. The darn things just show up -- I've had them my whole life.

Look it up on web.md ...

By now, you may already know this, but a canker sore is NOT a fever blister and is NOT herpis. They are two very different things. I have sufferred from canker sores most of my life and just went through about 4 weeks of fighting some more... Using Rembrant toothpaste helps!! I usually get a sore if I bite my cheek or lip. I think the toothpaste I was using was causing this. I also tend to get them when my immune system is down, this can be caused by a vitamin deficiency. Usually iron and vitamin B. Anway, since the new toothpast helped so much and I had remebered reading your post I just wanted to pass it on... Hope it helps!!

I have struggled with having canker sores for years. Finally my dentist suggested I try using a toothpaste without SLS (sodium laurel sulfate). It helps sooo much. I still get them occasionally but they do not become huge and irritated like they used to. Rembrandt has a toothpaste that fits the bill; it's called their "gentle" formula. Kind of a blue/turquoise design on a white box. It might be worth a shot. Sure was for me!

I used to get canker sores over stress and worry.
One thing that I have learned having blisters or canker sores in my mouth is eating yogurt and gettin probiotic acidolpholis in powder form and putting it over the sore usually soothes it and helps with the healing process better.