THEY CAN BE EMBARRASSING AND ALSO PAINFUL.
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE DREADED SKIN CARE ISSUE, COLD SORES.
COLD SORE SEASON IS HERE BUT YOU HAVE TO THE POWER TO FIGHT BACK.
THIS MORNING WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS A WAY TO HELP YOU SAVE FACE.
JOINING US WITH GREAT SOLUTIONS IS DOCTOR HEATHER WOLLERY-LLOYD.
THE DIRECTOR OF ETHNIC SKIN CARE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI.
GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING.
THANK YOU GO HAVING ME.
SO, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS BECAUSE WHEN I WAS GROWING UP I'D HEAR COLD SORES, YOU ARE GETTING
AN INFECTION, YOU MIGHT BE GETTING A COLD.
LET'S CLEAR UP THE AIR HERE.
WHAT IS A COLD SORE?
AND WHAT CAUSES THEM TO APPEAR?
WELL, COLD SORES ARE BLISTER LIKE SORES THAT CAN OCCUR ON THE LIP OR FACE AND THEY ARE
CAUSED BY A VIRUS CALLED THE HERPE SIMPLEX VIRUS 1.
AND UNLIKE THE VIRUSES THAT CAUSE COLDS OR FLUS, THAT VIRUS STAYS IN YOUR BODY FOR LIKE
SO WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS, IT'S CALLED LATENCY.
BUT SOMETIMES IT BECOMES ACTIVE AND THAT'S WHEN YOU SEE THE COLD SORES.
AND WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD HERPES, AGAIN IT CAN BE AN ALARMING WORD FOR SOME PEOPLE AND
YET SOMETIME YOU THINK TO YOURSELF, IT REALLY SHOULDN'T BE.
IT SHOULDN'T BE.
THERE IS REALLY NO REASON TO BE ALARMED.
IN FACT, UP TO 70 PERCENT OF ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES,
OH WOW!
HAVE THE HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS.
AND OF THOSE, 15-40 PERCENT EXPERIENCE SYMPTOMS OR COLD SORES.
AND WHO GETS COLD SORES?
SO, IT CAN OCCUR IN ALL AGES.
BUT IT IS MORE COMMON IN WOMEN AND IT DOES INCREASE AS YOU GET OLDER, THE RISK OF GETTING
A COLD SORE.
AND BASICALLY IT'S TRANSMITTED ONCE YOU HAVE DIRECT CONTACT WITH A HERPES LESION IN SOMEONE
WHO HAS AN ACTIVE INFECTION.
SO, THAT'S HOW YOU GET THE COLD SORE VIRUS.
SO, WHY IS MORE PREVALENT IN WOMEN?
WHY IS THAT WE, IT'S ALWAYS WOMEN!
WE REALLY DON'T KNOW THAT ACTUALLY.
BUT IT IS MORE COMMON IN WOMEN.
WE DO KNOW THAT.
AND REALLY IT'S JUST A VERY COMMON THING AND I REALLY TRY TO EMPHASIZE TO MY PATIENTS,
IT'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.
RIGHT.
IT'S QUITE COMMON AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE THE COLD
SORE VIRUS.
SO, WHAT TRIGGERS A COLD SORE?
DO WE KNOW?
YES, THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TRIGGERS.
IT CAN BE TRIGGERED BY SUNLIGHT.
IT CAN TRIGGERED BY A COLD OR A FLU.
EMOTIONAL STRESS.
CAN IT BE SEASONAL ALSO?
BECAUSE SOMETIMES I'VE HEARD THE COLD WEATHER, REALLY?
ABSOLUTELY, WE DO SEE IT MORE DURING THE WINTER MONTHS WHEN WE HAVE MORE COLDS AND FLUS.
EVERYONE HAS THEIR DIFFERENT TRIGGERS AND FOR ME AS A DERMATOLOGIST, IT CAN ALSO BE
TRIGGERED BY PROCEDURES.
SO, IF YOU ARE DOING A LASER PROCEDURE ON THE FACE OR EVEN ORAL SURGERY CAN TRIGGER
A COLD SORE.
AND OBVIOUSLY, STRESS.
THAT'S LIKE NUMBER ONE.
DEFINITELY NUMBER ONE.
NOW, HOW DO YOU KNOW, YOU ARE GOING TO GET A COLD SORE?
ARE THERE SYMPTOMS?
IS THERE SOMETHING TO WATCH OUT FOR?
THERE ARE SYMPTOMS.
IN FACT, MOST PEOPLE EXPERIENCE SOME TYPE OF TINGLING, STINGING, BURNING, ITCHING.
AND SOME PEOPLE MIGH EXPERIENCE A LITTLE MILD PAIN SO THERE IS PRODROMAL.
WE CALL THAT THE PRODROMAL BEFORE THE COLD SORE COMES OUT AND THAT'S THE BEST TIME TO
START YOUR TREATMENT.
AND THAT IS PROBABLY THE BEST TIME TO GO SEE A DOCTOR AND I KNOW THIS FOR A FACT, THAT
MANY PEOPLE WILL EITHER MAYBE PUT SOME MAKE UP ON.
WOMEN OF COURSE.
YES.
OR MAYBE SOME COLD PRESSES, ICE.
DOES THAT WORK?
WELL, THE COLD PRESSES MIGH CAUSE SOME TEMPORARY RELEIF BUT THEY ARE NOT GOING TO SHORTEN THE
DURATION OF YOUR COLD SORE.
SO, IT'S MORE IMPORTANT, I THINK, TO USE A PRESCRIPTION CREAM, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE YOU
WILL SEE THE RESULTS.
SO, TELL ME ONE THAT WORKS FOR YOU.
WELL, THE TREATMENT THAT I LOVE IN PATIENTS WITH COLD SORES IS ACTUALLY DENAVIR.
THIS IS ONE OF THE, THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
AND DENAVIR IS PENCICLOVIR 1 PERCENT CREAM AND IT CAN BE APPLIED DURING THE PRODROMAL
PERIOD WHERE YOU ARE HAVING THE TINGLING OR THE STINGING SENSATION PRIOR TO THE COLD SORE.
AND IT CAN ALSO BE APPLIED DIRECTLY TO THE COLD SORE.
AND IT'S BEEN PROVEN TO SHORTEN THE DURATION OF THE COLD SORE AND SHORTENING THAT DURATION
MAKES A BIG IMPACT ON SOMEONE'S QUALITY OF LIFE.
NOW, I ALWAYS ASK IN TERMS OF SIDE EFFECTS.
ARE THERE ANY THAT ONE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT?
YES.
AND THE CLINICAL TRIALS, 3 PERCENT OF PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED THE DENAVIR HAD LOCAL SIDE EFFECTS
AND ACTUALLY 4 PERCENT OF PEOPLE IN THE PLACEBO GROUP HAD LOCAL SIDE EFFECTS.
REALLY?
YES.
AND THOSE LOCAL SIDE EFFECTS COULD BE SKIN SENSITIVITY OR RASH OR CHANGE IN TASTE.
NOW, IT TERMS OF COST ALSO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY I'D LOVE TO GET IT BUT I CAN'T
AFFORD IT.
HOW DOES THIS COMPARE?
WELL, FOR ME, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE SOMETIMES PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS CAN BE
SO EXPENSIVE BUT DENAVIR HAS A CO PAY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM SO FOR ELIGIBLE PATIENTS, THEY PAY
NO MORE THAN 15 DOLLARS.
OH MY GOSH SO WORTH IT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU.
DO APPRECIATE YOUR TIME DOCTOR.
COME BACK WITH SOMETHING FOR PIMPLES?
MAYBE NEXT TIME.
(LAUGHS) THAT'S WHAT I NEED.
ALRIGHT, REMEMBER TO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR TO SEE IF DENAVIR MAY BE RIGHT FOR YOU OR FOR
MORE INFORMATION ON DENAVIR AND HOW IT CAN HELP YOU MANAGE YOUR COLD SORES, VISIT OUR
WEBSITE, THEBALANCINGACT.COM
THAT'S THEBALANCINGACT.COM
WE'RE ALSO ON FACEBOOK.