How long does the therapy with a cream last? | Creams against lip herpes

How long does the therapy with a cream last?

If left untreated, lip herpes usually lasts between 9 and 14 days, starting with the first symptoms and ending with the crust falling off. If treatment is started early, the healing time with antivirals is between 6 and 7 days, whereby the pain can be significantly relieved and the crust formation accelerated. Most creams should be applied over a treatment period of four to five days.

Is a cream for lip herpes over the counter?

For the self-medication of lip herpes, creams containing 2 g acyclovir or 2 g penciclovir are available without prescription in every pharmacy, but larger tubes are only available on prescription. Creams containing Forscanet are generally available only on prescription.

Cream or plaster – which is better?

In addition to creams, there are also plasters, so-called patches, for lip herpes. The advantage of these patches is that they are transparent and only need to be changed every 8 – 10 hours, whereas most creams need to be applied every two hours during the day. The patches also protect against the spread of the infection by masking it.

In general, however, neither patches nor creams can eliminate the viruses that are dormant in the body. However, both offer pain relief and slightly accelerate the healing process.