Herpes Simplex

What is Nexcare Cold Sore Treatment?

Nexcare is an over-the-counter topical ointment produced by the company 3M and is marketed as a topical treatment for cold sores. The makers of Nexcare report that the active ingredients in the ointment include benzocaine, allantoin, vitamin E and tea tree oil.

What Does It Do?

When applied to your skin, the main ingredient in Nexcare, benzocaine, interferes with the actions of sodium in your nerve cells. This is a well known way to decrease the sensations of pain. Allantoin, the other main ingredient in Nexcare, is a substance that helps protect your skin and keep it moist. The vitamin E and tea tree oil essentially perform the same function as the Allantoin.

Does It Work?

It is well documented that the ingredients in Nexcare are effective remedies for the pain and discomfort associated with cold sores; however, there is no real evidence its ingredients have any properties that would actually affect the HSV-2 virus that causes the cold sore. Nexcare is an effective treatment for the symptoms of HSV-2 but does little to combat the virus causing the sore.

Benefits

With Nexcare you know exactly what you are getting. This is a topical cream meant very specifically to alleviate the pain and inflammation associated with a cold sore. The ingredients have been proven over the past hundred years to accomplish both those tasks and there is nothing extra added that does not help perform one of those functions. 3M is one of the most reputable companies in the world so you can be confident that the product will do what it says it will do. They recommend you apply the cream up to four times a day and claim you should see results within the week. If symptoms do not improve, you should contact a doctor.

Downside

This product does nothing in the way of treatment or prevention of the root cause of the cold sore. There is no cure for the virus that causes cold sores to appear, but there are a number of things you can do to kill that virus as it flares up in your system. Nexcare is simply a band-aid and really takes no steps toward treating what is actually ailing you. Also, 3M does not list specific side effects but both benzocaine and tea tree oil have been known to cause skin irritation. Since that would defeat the purpose of using a product meant to help alleviate irritation, take that into consideration when using this product.

Conclusion

There really isn’t much to say about this product. It is a simple topical cream with ingredients you can find in dozens of similar products. The price will vary widely depending on where it is purchased so I would use that as the determining factor when choosing a cold sore remedy. You can also look for generic compounds with similar dosages if price is an issue.