Red area on lip... a cold sore... ?

Question

My little sister (who I live with) has cold sores, but I've never had one. The other morning, I woke up and the skin on my bottom lip was peeling a bit. I pulled it off because it was unsightly. Today, the side of my lip where I pulled off the skin is red and raised and feels taut. I was immediately afraid that I had a cold sore since I've been trying to make sure I don't contract them from my sister, but I'm not sure. There's just barely the semblance of a bump where my lip is affected, and no blisters or head, just a red raised area. Do you think this is a cold sore? Or just a place where my lip is sensitive from being peeled off a bit? I've heard that you can't get canker sores on the surface of your lips, though that's what I thought it might be after some consideration.

Answer 1

From your description it does not sound like a cold sore.  If  your sister gets them, you know what they look like.  Many of us already have the cold sore virus dormant in our bodies, and never have a flare up of cold sores.  We contracted it as children, as it is a very common virus, and children pick it up easily as they often share food and drinks, and may be less concerned about hand washing and hygiene.   So even though you have never had a cold sore, it doesn't mean you don't have the virus.  Cold sores can be transmitted even when the person does not have a cold sore, though it is less likely to happen then.  

There is no over-the-counter medication or home remedy that cures cold sores.  Only time will take care of that.  But there is a good prescription medication for cold sores.  It will make them go away much faster, and as a result of taking this medication a person will have far fewer outbreaks of cold sores.

The absolute best treatment for cold sores is a prescription medication in pill form called Valtrex.  It was intended for genital herpes, but cold sores are caused by the same family of viruses, and Valtrex stops colds sores in their tracks.  None of the other treatments come close to the effectiveness of Valtrex, not the ointment Zovirax, and certainly not Abreva or anything else.  Your parents may want to check with their doctor about it to see if your sister would be a good candidate for this medication.  I don't know how old your sister is, and I don't know if it is ever prescribed for children.  My doctor prescribed it for me for cold sores about five years ago and after taking it only a couple of times I hardly ever get a cold sore any more, and before Valtrex I was having several attacks a year.  On the rare occasions that I do get one now, it is gone almost immediately when I take the medication - in about a day.    In the meantime, here are a couple of informative links.

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-t...

http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/ach...