Gracie (London, UK) on 12/02/2012:
Acetone really works! I wanted to share all the info I have with cold sore sufferers as I know how detrimental they can be to the quality of life.
I have been suffering for years and years now from cold sores. My immune system is weak to them and I suspect my partner carries the cold sore virus without any symptoms and infects me every time he eats lots of chocolate and nuts. Sometimes these cold sores are around my nose, on my cheeks, on my chin or above my mouth and I have had some terrible scars in the past from cold sores that became huge and lasted for weeks. These scars sometimes took over 6 months to disappear.
This used to be the bane of my life. It really ruined my existence, to the point where I did not go out for weeks as my face was marred with huge weeping sores or large crusty scabs sometimes several nasty cold blisters would spread in a line across my cheek and they were so painful. It was one of the worst periods of my life and lasted over 2 years during which I felt ashamed and disgusting. People would look at me with horror and no amount of make up could conceal these terrible sores.
Thank goodness for acetone. I cannot believe this works but it really does! The minute I feel a sore coming on or itchiness I swab the area with acetone several times, often the skin turns a little red. Then on top of that I put some cream containing acyclovir like zovirax. I keep repeating every couple of hours. Usually the next day the sore is gone or on its way out.
Just to give advice to others out there, there is a link between foods and cold sores especially sugars, processed red meats (avoid these like the plague) and foods containing lysine and arginine to my break outs. If I eat foods high in arginine like nuts, seeds, chocolate, soya, shellfish etc. then often a cold sore will come up, it is important to balance this out with either foods containing lysine or a lysine supplement.
Foods highest in lysine are chicken, tuna, cod, grouper, pollock, haddock etc. Foods highest in Lysine and lowest in arginine are plain yogurt, most cheeses, milk, kefir and many fishes.
Sticking to a good ratio of more lysine than arginine in your diet plus the acetone trick should mean no more cold sores!
I wish everyone well and no more cold sores, ever!
Tunameat (Myrtle Beach, Sc) on 11/04/2012:
I just noriced a cold sore yesterday. It was barely noticeable so I ran out to CVS and got Abreva and Lysine , I spent about $30. I lathered that on and went to sleep. Wake up and its 2x bigger, red, swollen and has a white blistery area forming on my lip, sorta flat so far. I applied Nail Polish remover this morning since I was so pissed. I put it on a Q-tip and dabbed it on my lip for about 10 seconds. I did it again about an hour later, then 2 hours later. So far I see absolutely no change. Nothing. Looks exactly the same. I think this may be a placebo effect. Does not work. View Entire Thread
Jenny (Central, Nj) on 08/24/2012:
At 33 years old I, for the first time developed a cold sore which started in the corner of my mouth but after a few days increased to the size of a silver dollar on my face. Desparate to make it go away I scoured the internet and found this page. Against my husbands wishes I tried the nail polish remover on a test section of the sore by applying twice within an hour to a small section of the sore. To my surprise I woke up the next morning and it was dried up and left a very small scab in that location. I was shocked so of course I did this to the whole sore by washing it with peroxide and then applying nail polish remover after with a cotton swab. Even though it stings, it was well worth it because the next morning it was all dried up and left small scabs. I followed it up with another treatment of nail polish remover that evening just to make sure the sucker was dead. The next morning I put first aid ointment on a few times and in two days later all scabs are gone and I am back to normal.
My best advice is to apply the nail polish remover instantly and not wait the five agonizing days that I did before I found this wonderful site!!!
Bright Eyed Girl (Oyster Bay, Ny, Usa) on 05/27/2012:
Hi Everyone, Just wanted to pop in and comment as I usually don't give feedback, but I realize how important it is for people to see the success or failure of a certain recommendation. I know I have found earth clinic's posters to be informative and helpful so I figure I should add on to possibly be helpful to a new sufferer.
When I first read about Acetone, I thought, humm that's strange. Then I said oh well if I use it on my nails then it's seeping into my body anyhow. Maybe not the best attitude, but it always marvels me when I hear people say they can't use something on their skin, but they use it other ways.
Anyhow, I found this info after I had an attack and it pretty much resolved itself. I told myself I have to remember this Acetone method and use it the next time I have an episode. So pow, another episode on Thursday, about 3 days ago. I ran for the Acetone instead of the common brand I use and started to apply it. The particular brand I buy at my local pharmacy did work, but never quickly, never stopped the sore from becoming a sore and I would spend about $22.00 bucks for a small tube which I would use only until the sore was gone and then put it away. By the time I would get another flare-up the cream would have expired - URGH--and then off to spend another $22 bucks!!! So I decided, what the heck, let me try this while praying and see if it works. Well surprise, surprise, IT WORKED!!!!!!!
I was so amazed and excited! The first tingle was in the a.m. on Tursday so I used a Q-tip and kept applying the Acetone after the Acetone evaporated (using a new Q-tip each time of course). I did that for a bit. It got swollen and red, but that's it and yes it burned, but that was fine as long as it would work. Next morning I started again with the same process, but fewer applications because of schedule. By Saturday morning it was still a bit red, the swelling wnt down and a tiny bump remained. I didn't apply anymore and then today it scabbed over! Yup that was it. All gone now.
I couldn't believe my eyes! My friend was also amazed and said she's gonna try it when she has an outbreak. Thanks everyone for the suggestion. ACETONE WORKS!!!
View Entire Thread
Yessssss (Ft Lauderdale, Fl) on 04/20/2012:
So started getting a tingle on my chin and I immediately started applying cream it did nothing by the morning my whole chin was covered I read this post around noon it is now 4 and holy crap they're almost gone!!! Got a needle gently pricked each lump then got the nail polish remover soaked them for 5 min since every hr I have been applying a bit and it's almost gone awesome thanks guys
Bella_vcista2 (San Mateo, Ca) on 03/21/2012:
Hi - I can't thank the people here on Earth Clinic enough! I had success using suggestions from here before and, yet again, I love you guys!
I was really skeptical about trying out acetone for cold soles, but I went ahead and tried this out. I had a cold sore that had developed for about a day, so I wasn't sure if this would work since most of the posts said to apply the acetone when the first symptoms appear.
Here's what I did:
Cold sore appeared for a day. It was still tingly, warm and the blisters and lip were definitely swollen.
Day 1: Applied acetone by dabbing the area in 5 minute intervals. I did twice before bed, maybe 1-2 hours apart. After each dabbing session, I rinsed the area with very cold water and applied a generous amount of vaseline.
Day 2: I did the same as above, about 3 times during the day.
After the first day I thought my cold sore felt better (less burning, less pain), but I couldn't tell if it mattered in any way because it was still pretty swollen.
After day 2 I the swelling and pain went down considerably and it scabbed over. I'm not sure if 'scabbed' is the right word. It was more like I could tell the acetone dried out the area.
Today is day 4. The last two days I discontinued the acetone. The swelling and burning are gone. The blisters are also gone. It's more of a crusty-dry area now. It's still noticebly red, but I went out and was able to cover it up with a bit of make up.
Does anyone else have any idea on how to speed up the healing at this point? I'm just using a liberal amount of vaseline in the evenings before bed, and I was hoping to speed up the healing. Thank you!
Art (Victoria Bc, Canada) on 03/21/2012:
Why would anyone want to control something they can get rid of? You are not informed if you are using chemicals to treat cold sores. Cold sores is a form of Herpes like it or not. Herpes is a lipid coated virus. Now Butylated HydroxyToluene (BHT) is a food preservative that kills these viruses. Don't take my word for it, do your own research. The BHT is available ay Vitamin Reseach Products online. My cold sore or spot that usualy breaks out every year is now gone after 2 months of taking one 350mg capsule every day on an empty stomach with a gulp of fruit juice. Pamper your pet cold sore or kill it, the choice is your. Knowledge is power. Art. View Entire Thread
K_g_det_1 (Canton, Mi U.s) on 02/21/2012:
I have a cold sore and apply acetone nail polisher remover and it made it worst! Not only is it larger but it look like a open flesh wound! Now I'm using Campho Phenique and it's drawing out all the pus. This doesn't work for everyone. View Entire Thread
Laurilyn (Priest River, Idaho) on 02/17/2012:
It WORKS like magic! I have fought this virus since my college days. I have tried oral L-lysine, topical L-lysine, ice, 3%H2O2, 70% Isopropyl alcohol, and every other idea. Acetone nail polish remover on a Q-tip right on the cancker sore dried it up right away. Thanks so much, I have an interview on Tuesday. I was so worried I would NOT get it cleared up in the next 4 days. NOW. No worries! View Entire Thread
Lilly (Lancaster, California) on 01/27/2012:
So I woke up with a bump on my lip the other day... I freaked cuz I knew it was coming I went to the store and got everything to try to keep it from bursting into a full on cold sore... Too late!! Ugg. I work as a host at red robin and I have had 2 days doing everything I can to get rid of it before I go back to work. I came across a few sites and found this... Nail polish remover it sounded scary but it has dried it compleatly. I mixed it with rubbing alcohol and used a qutip to put chapstick all around the sore cuz I am afraid that the nail polish remover would kill the heathly skin on my lips then I dapped the mixture on the sore for 5 mins every 20 mins with out touching it or irritating it in between, I work at 5 today and it looks like I'm not going to have to worry about ppl staring at my mouth, if only I knew about this sooner.... It really does work ppl View Entire Thread
Hb (Santa Fe, New Mexico Usa) on 12/31/2011:
This past week I had been stressed out. Yesterday I noticed some itching at the edge of my bottom lip. Oh great! A cold sore is coming. I get these all the time, recently not so much, but ever since I was a yonug child (I'm in high school now). It's horrible! People make fun of you, it's so embarrasing. I kept searching on the internet of ways to make the damn thing go away. All of them said: you can prevent them, but once you have them you have to wait 7-10 days for it to go away. I kept searching on yahoo answers, and found something that didn't involve me going out to buy abreva or any other expensive products that only shorten healing time.
You take a sterilized needle and poke into the sore. You will see clear liquid ooze out of the sore now. Immediately take a cotton ball with acetone and press onto the sore, but after about 5 minutes change the cotton ball and do it again, because if you take it off and put it back on again an infection may form. It worked perfectly! It was gone instantly. I put [again] a new cotton ball with acetone on, and kept it on for an hour and a half. Please try this! But be careful because sensitive skin may have a chemical reaction from the acetone.
View Entire Thread
Dawn (Oak Harbor, Wa) on 12/24/2011:
Last week I was under a tremendous amount of stress and ended up with a huge sore on my lip. I awoke with it and immedietly started applying Acetone several times a day. It was all dry within 2 days. I am now dealing with the dry scab but never had any pain or discomfort. My husband was very upset when he saw my lip cause he isn't allowed to kiss me while I am healing. It usually takes me a couple weeks to heal. Needless to say he is very happy with the fact it only took two days to go away. I will definitely be letting others know how to get rid of their sores also.
Ads (Atlanta, Ga) on 12/18/2011:
I had a cold sore pop up on Friday and I had a Christmas party that night so I started freaking out! I read about acetone so I started putting it on that day and it never got swollen at all. The next day the blisters had dried almost completely. And on Sunday it had completely dissolved. Acetone is amazing!
Anjoyla (Cincinnati, Ohio) on 12/17/2011:
Have to say after trying over the counter things, muipricin, benzoil peroxide, peroxide, alcohol, salt water, and over the counter cold sore treatments for the past week nothing has worked. I came on line this morning and I saw people trying nail polish remover. I was willing to try it anything to get rid of this. I have had to take pain relievers where the pain of this was outrageous and even they didn't work. I have covered the sore with a bandaid it didn't work. This is the first sign of relief in over a week.
I get these cold sores everytime I try to wear lipstick or lip balm if it's not made of lysine never again. For my birthday for pictures I put lipstick on not thinking it would create a huge problem- it did. So now I am trying to get rid of this before Christmas. These are miserable and embarrassing so I am giving this a try and if it works then I am sticking to it.
View Entire Thread
Jessica (Denver, Co/usa) on 10/17/2011:
So I had my first GH outbreak in quite a while and this one was waaaay worse then they normally are. I decided to search around a bit and found this thread. I bought some nail polish remover with acetone last night, applied it to "the bump" which was easily the size of the marble (with no signs of giving up any time soon), let it dry and then put clear nail polish on it over night. The itching and pain was gone within 10 min. Woke up, showered, applied more acetone and then more clear nail polish, and now two hours later.... The skin is still not healed but the bump is GONE!!!! I would guess this event will be a nightmare of the past by tomorrow morning at the latest!! Absolutely recommend giving this method a try!!! View Entire Thread
Taylor (Albany, Ny) on 10/12/2011:
Okay, I don't think I have ever written a comment on any of these sites before but I know how awful cold sores are and I wanted to tell you all that nail polish remover with acetone in it WORKED! I was so upset because I am a freshman at college, just got here a month ago, and already got a cold sore. I was too embarrassed to leave my room other than to get food. Thankfully (kind of... ) I have strep throat too, so not leaving the room wasn't that ridiculous. I got cotton swabs and Q-tips and put the nail polish remover on my sore for 5 hours and its all dried up! Its still not completely healed, but I only started when I woke up at 11, and it is 5:00 now. I haven't put any on in an hour but I will again soon. Thank you soooooooooo so soooooo much
Rod (Portland, Maine) on 08/18/2011:
I woke up a couple days ago with that dreaded familier itch on my bottom lip.... I get these cold sores a couple times a year and know I'm in for a red, sore lip for about 7 days. Not this time... Treated it with the nail poslisher remover a couple times and this morning (ALL GONE) View Entire Thread
Lulu (Cork, Ireland) on 07/20/2011:
I felt a cold sore coming out & then another & another, all on the SAME day!
Dabbed acetone on them, gave about 1 hour & 30 mins & then did it again, twice with 1 hour 30 mins intervals, then the next morning again. Dried them out & now they're almost gone, just slight little scabs. Thanks so much for this guys, it really helped!
Melissa (New Brunswick, Nj) on 06/03/2011:
IT WORKS! It's a miracle cure, I got a cold sore yesterday, used the nailpolish remover in the morning and by 5 or 6 pm is was almost gone, and this morning you can barely see anything! ONE DAY and I can leave the house! AMAZING View Entire Thread
Lisa (Congers, Ny) on 04/28/2011:
I've had herpes since I was 20. I though my life was going to end. I started on Valtrex and soon realized that when I would take it, I seemed to have an outbreak every other month. When I didn't take it, I would have an outbreak maybe once a year. I found staying healthy, eating plenty of foods rich in antioxidents and staying away from stress is the best therapy for me. View Entire Thread
Girlie Girl (Unknown, Pa) on 03/06/2011:
Yes, it works! I had a fever blister pop out last week and I stayed in the house for 5 days. I missed work 3 of those days. I read about the acetone at that time, but was a little afraid to try it out. Soon as my blister was healed and I was ready to get back to my life again.... Another very small one started to appear. I was very upset because I missed so much time from work already, I felt I had to try the acetone treatment. I applied with a Q-tip, held it on for 10-30 sec's. I did that for most of the day and this morning it is completely dried out.
To help avoid them take lysine & Vitamin C. Go to Herpe Nutrution website to find out what things are good to eat and have Lysine in them. I hadn't had one in 4 years until I ate Pumkin Seeds... Stay away from these... I hope this helps...
View Entire Thread
Jlrc (Buffalo, New York) on 01/02/2011:
Opened my eyes on New Year's Day 2011 to find a large cold sore forming under my nose. AHHH, the horror. It was already bubbling up and the size of a dime. Over the years I have found when there is a serious temperature shift, from 15 degrees to 55 degrees in a day, that's when I get a break out. So yes, it was a balmy New Year's Eve and I get rewarded with a break out. For years I would get a sore and immediately apply ammonia to the tingling spot. Sometime it would deactivate a break out, sometimes not. Given the bubbles had already erupted I knew I needed an alternative solution because ammonia at this point would still allow for a 1 week heal time.
I read on Earth Clinic about acetone therapy. WOW!! It's working. I applied acetone to the sore via Q-tip several times that day and allowed it to evaporate. When I awoke this morning, the sore had dried up considerably and is hardly red. It appears the acetone has shorted the 2 week herpes life cycle to 1-2 days. I am so thankful this remedy works. I plan to apply acetone several times today for good measure. Acetone works far better than ammonia on killing this virus. Give it a try, you will be shocked.
Coopbkc (Kansas City, Mo, Usa) on 10/08/2010:
Thanks everybody on here so much. Earth clinic is amazing; I always check it first and have managed to avoid getting a prescription for anything for over 3 years (funny because I am applying to med school but avoid doctors at all costs). I have had only a few cold sores my entire life, but a few days ago I felt tingling in my lip and went to the bathroom and saw my lip was a little red and slightly swollen. I freaked out. I have a big weekend planned visiting my friends and a guy I just met. Having a cold sore was out of the question. I got on here and saw the acetone remedy. I am finishing my degree in Chemistry and have had quite a bit of contact with acetone and knew that it would work as a powerful disinfectant/drying agent. Also, to everybody that was shocked/worried about acetone, it is produced naturally in very small quantities in the body. Certainly don't make a martini with it, but a couple q-tip's full over a few days shouldn't be harmful assuming you're not allergic. By the time I got home, I had a small sore on my upper lip and my bottom lip had a swollen area the size of a marble (ahh! ). I used a q-tip and applied acetone a few times an hour all night. The next morning the top sore had dried out and scabbed and the bottom was less swollen but still showing signs of blistering. I continued with the acetone in the morning and abreva/acetone throughout the day. I did not use any moisturizer/chapstick because I wanted the infection to dry out. Its now only two days into the outbreak, my bottom lip is normal sized and has scabbed below the surface, the top lip has no scab and is pink and healing well. I am so happy. Its hardly noticeable. By tomorrow, I anticipate I will be back to normal. I have started using Vaseline to moisturize and speed up healing. A little acetone is sooooooo much better than the two week embarrassment I faced last time I had a cold sore. This has almost cleared up in 48 hours and this was the worst (biggest) outbreak I have had. Thank you again.
Mike (Denver Area, Colorado) on 08/25/2010:
I just wanted to thank you guys for giving me this tip on acetone. I was extremely skeptical but my last breakout terrible. When I saw a situation developing on my lip this time I freaked out and knew drastic action was gonna be required or I was gonna be out of commission for a month like last year. No good. Usually what happens is I get one herpes and then all h*ll breaks loose. My entire chin and lips get covered within 3 days. And inside my mouth as well... It's very bad. This time I read this thread and took immediate action. I took a cotton (make up remover disc) and put acetone on it. I then held it directly on the infected area. I did this several times per day (5 to 10 times) until it was gone. Here's the thing. My chin and lips were "ready" to have a major breakout but I kept dabbing the acetone anywhere I thought something was about to happen throughout the day... I highly recommend that because it saved me MUCH embarassment. Inside my mouth was terrible but the more vitamin C I took the more relief I got. Not a noticeable difference with Lysine. One note, as soon as you even think you have something developing on your face, dab it with acetone. And you know a difference between a pimple and a "cold sore". Thanks again everyone! View Entire Thread
Jazzy103 (Yardley, Pa) on 07/31/2010:
I applied 100% acetone on onset of my oral herpes and much to my surprise it worked!! I suffer from breakouts 1-2 times per month and have tried many things with no success of stopping a full blown blister. I kept applying acetone about every half hour on the first day and about every hour on the second day, then a few times per day until I was sure it was gone. I only experienced some redness and dryness but no ugly yellow blisters!!!! I hope this can help someone who is suffering from this agressive and ugly virus!!
David (New York City, Ny) on 05/03/2010:
Acetone Nail Polish Remover is now my best friend. It works wonders! As soon as you start getting that tingly feeling, put some on with a q-tip or some cotton swab. It burns a bit. But you can really feel it work. I kept doing this for about 5 minutes every couple of hours and what used to be a cold sore from hell that lasted at least two weeks is now a tiny mark that lasted only a couple of days. This really works! Thank you SO much! View Entire Thread
Den (Katy, Texas, Usa) on 02/25/2010:
First of all I love this website!
I recently had a GV outbreak after going almost 1 year without. I immediately came to this website. Looking at the last days before I felt the terrible tingling. I tried a new sweetener. Didn't like and only drank half the cup, but it was enough!!! I have been working on getting off of sugar. So I knew the only change was the artificial sweetener! NEVER AGAIN! So it was the very next day I woke up with the tingling. I dabbed a cotton ball with Acetone Polish Remover and held it to the area. OMG!! It burned!!! After the initial shock, it felt better. For the next 3 days I did this 2 times a day. I never had a full outbreak. By day 4 it was gone!!!! Thanks Earth Clinic!!
View Entire Thread
(1) 
