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Cold Sore Clear Immediate

Submitted by hoosier7400

I was panicked to feel that first tingle, but I thought it would go away so I came to this website and attempted each remedy. I really had no results so I started trying different things. The thing that helped most was diluted fingernail polish remover and water. 

This is day one and I applied an hour ago. I just left it on and waited by the mirror panicking. It burned at first but, immediately noticed color returning to my lip. The swelling remains but the sores are gone. Now I just have a fat lip. Anyone know any remedies for a fat lip?

Visitors comments

confused Comments By: natty on 2004-11-17 how long are u supposed to keep it on for? its not really burning but i think i can see it going away a little, not sure   nice Comments By: Xue on 2006-02-04 me likey a lot! the fingernail polish works like a charm, especialy if you hold it there, although it does burn a little.   A life changer Comments By: Rachel on 2006-05-20 i tried this method but used neat remover not diluted.Within an hor my huge blister had almost disapeard.I normally have a coldsore for 2 weeks and this is only the second day and it already feels like it's gone! Thank you-i'll never leave home without it.   works! Comments By: Anon on 2006-10-16 so i started to get a cold sore yesterday, and was preetty stressed out about it! i tried nail polish remover because it was the closest thing to me, and the redness is pretty much gone! i just kept reapplying it whenever the slight burn went away, until i felt it looked good enough. the blister pretty much looks deminished, and the redness is gone. it's a bit swollen, but hey i'll take that over a cold sore anyday! i hope it looks this good, or better, by morning!   I agree Comments By: Judy on 2006-11-17 I get cold sores every two three years and I recently started using the fingernail polish. the key is to use it as soon as you feel the tingle. I alternate with ice, polish and abreva. The sore is usually gone within two- three days.   WoW! Comments By: Anonymous on 2007-05-27 Yea This is AMAZING! I just got 2 sores today because for the past few days i have had a fever....I was just searching the site for remedies and this is the best! I have the polish remover on a cottonball pressed on my lip right now! Thanks everyone!   This is REALLY GREAT!!! Comments By: Tina on 2007-07-15 I noticed last night that I was getting a fever blister and I hadn't had one in a very long time it was hurting so BAD!! so I decided to look for a home remedy or something to try to get it to go away, when I found this, I must say I just got done putting the fingernail polish remover on it and it is barely noticable now and is just a little sore not n e thing like it was....although it stung I give it 5 STARS Thanks!!!!   yay Comments By: Kati on 2007-10-09 I went to bed with one, woke up a few hours later only to find another one starting to come out, so I got out of bed to come see if there's better ways to get rid. I had no idea there would actually be a "cure", the second one is completley gone I must have caught it in time, the first one is going down and neither are itchy anymore! I used to have these a lot when I was younger and they are embarrasing, wish I had known this back then too! Thanks a lot ! P.S- it doesn't sting that much in the long run :P   dont buy expensive creams, use nail varnish remover Comments By: Moody Lady on 2007-11-13 I can't believe how much money i have wasted at the chemist... have just tried the nail varnish remover and cant believe the difference.I wish had found this site before going to chemist. Only applied twice,all swelling gone and not half as sore. Stung a little but worth it for the end result. Thanks for this tip I will deffinitely pass it on to others and also save my money in future.   It's helping already Comments By: Anon on 2007-12-06 I am desperate. This is the 4th fever blister I've had in two months. This one is the worst I think I've ever had - one was a huge fluid-filled blister on the outside and another on forming closer to the inside of my lip. I tried the Peroxide first on my blister. When that didn't burn, I tried the nail polish remover. It didn't burn either, but it immediately drained the blister so at least I don't look as horrible as I did. I will keep doing this. I am so sad and upset. I pray this works.   Thanks! Comments By: amy on 2008-01-05 i felt that first tingle and got scared but i tried this and it worked! whoever wrote this is a life saver!   Get N Up set Comments By: Taylor on 2008-05-28 i dont really dont c n progess but im keep trying wuts the issue   brill realy works Comments By: sean on 2008-05-29 stings abit but mine went from red back to it normal colour in less than 10 mins hew ever came up with the idea of puttin on there lip to get read of cold sores was a gebius or just a wierdo as ild never of put it on if it wernt for this ive tried toothpaste and a few over things none work as good as this thou   Its like heaven in bottle Comments By: Shelbi on 2008-06-04 Ive had fever blisters since I was 8yrs old. They usually come on strong and stay for 2 weeks at a time. This trick actually works!! It really doesnt sting that bad and i can already see some of the redness improving!! Thanks!! :)   Amazing Comments By: Panicked Bride on 2008-07-20 I am getting married in 6 days and of course last night, pops up a fever blister, needless to say I was completely panicked! I jusst now swabbed some on my sore and already it has started to go down, it is not gone but it is going down which is a relief in itself!   wowwee Comments By: kitschy on 2008-07-31 i was plagued with my terrible blistery cold sore for over a week till my daughter saw this site and recommended nail varnish remover. i didnt catch it in time with the L-lysine tablets which usually work at the first tingle. I recommend the neat nail varnish remover (get one with vitamins and aloe vera)- my cold sore was gone in a day - though it really stung when i used it first - i persevered applying it every hour or so - i have my life back!   its working just i have a swollen lip Comments By: Anon on 2008-08-10 yeah I tryed this and my lip is swollen thats about it. it hasnt really gone down much but maybe when i wake up it will   suprisingly i have to admit it does work! Comments By: kat on 2008-10-11 i never usually believe these things, but seeing as i was desperate i thought id give it a go! and seriously, it really doesnt particularly sting, and one of mine was actually a full blown open blister, and there both now pretty much gone! after half an hour no joke! :) and i had to say because i never believed it would work to be honest!!   This is the best thing ever! Comments By: kassykore on 2008-10-13 I have tried SO MANY remedies for cold sores. I saw this one and decided to try yet another remedy. I put on the nail polish remover about a 30 minutes ago and noticed I didn't feel pain. I looked in the mirror and it has already shrunken 50% !!!!!!!!!!!!   Stupid swelling! Comments By: Anon on 2008-10-24 My top lip is totally deformed by the HUGE swelling! It looks like i've had collagen that's gone wrong. Managed to not venture out of the house since it appeared tuesday, but i'm going on holiday tomorrow and look like a %$"!*& fish!! It seems to be drying up, but there's no sign of the swelling going down...I can cope with just a scab by covering it with make-up et, but this swelling is making me feel really self conscious.   Am I doing it wrong? Comments By: Anon on 2008-10-25 I am so sad because I was really excited when I saw these testimonials. Unfortunately this trick did not work for me at all. I don't understand why it worked so well for everyone else....am I doing something wrong? I placed a cotton pad with nailpolish remover on it on the sore for an hour last night and again for an hour this morning with no results. It just stung a bit and made the rest of my lip swell... HELP!   answer this plse Comments By: blake on 2008-11-11 does the nail polish remover work when it is a scab? i need an answer quickkkk im gettin desperate   How long Should I hold it on Comments By: adam on 2008-11-26 I just wanted to know how long, or often I should put the Nail polish remover on my cold sore?   i'll remember Comments By: Shahid on 2008-11-27 this remedy for next time, also aftershave or perfume has worked. But be careful because eventually the cold sores will get immune to this and won't be affected so try and limit it to special circumstances, well it depends on how often you get them. Thank you for this!   Lip swelling Comments By: Anon on 2008-11-27 Take an antihisthemine every day until the swelling goes down - it really works.   hope this works. Comments By: Alyssa on 2008-12-10 so i usually get cold sores twice a year. lately it has been once, but everytime i get one it seems to be 5 or 6 at a time and my lip gets so big i cant eat or talk. its horrible. This is my third day with a cold sore and the swelling has gone down a bit but ive tried everything. The green hot tea bag works pretty well but im hoping that this works, a fat lip and blisters are so unattractive. ill let you know how it goes.   ??? Comments By: anon on 2008-12-14 I want to try this out, but i've read about the swelling... so I want to know: after how long does the swelling go down? I hope it doesn't take over an hour or so... someone please reply!! I really want to try this out, but first i wanna know how long it takes for the swelling to go down... SOMEONE PLEASE REPLY :) thanks in advance for the tip..:D   REALLY DOES WORK! Comments By: Grateful for nail polish remover on 2008-12-14 Hello, I have suffered with cold sores for most of my life. I used to get them up to 10 times a year. The blisters are always large, painful and last for 3 weeks. That is from blister to scab falling away. I have found that taking lysine every day, avoiding caffeine, beer and nuts and using Purell hand sanitizer on my face daily. I have reduced the number of cold sores I get. When I do feel an outbreak coming on I now use the nail polish remover. I use the type that has acetone in it. I do not break the blisters but hold a soaked cotton ball on for up to 5 minutes at a time. These remedies have been a savior for me!   WOT ? Comments By: Aggravated. on 2008-12-18 i tired this remedy. i used a q-tip first then a cotton ball and applied a large amount with the q-tip and then held down the cotton ball for 15mins. its been an hour since then...it still looks the same as it did almost an hour and a half ago...am i doing something wrong ? i just want the swelling to go down. i look like a fish. someone help !!!   help!!!! Comments By: help! on 2008-12-23 i've tried ice...and it reduced it a little then i tried nail polish remover and it didn't look like that was working like everyone said it would and now i'm trying actual clear nail polish...does anyone know what i could do to get rid of it my boyfriend comes home 2nite and we have to take christmas pics and i don't want my have a big red spot on the side of my lip w/ it looking swollen!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!   Please work... Comments By: Summer on 2008-12-24 I have been getting cold sores for years now and found absolutely NO cure for them! I just got through trying the nail polish remover remedy. I left it on for 30 min. and noticed the color was back to normal. I ended up popping mine to get a better reaction with it. If you do this make sure the fluid from the blister doesn't touch any other part of your body. It WILL spread if it does. Also no matter what remedy you use wash your hands before and after. I found that if you don't they will spread whether you pop them or not. If you are scared to do this you can also try putting ice on it for the swelling. It won't work as well but it will help. Christmas is tomorrow and we are visiting inlaws. I'm also going to try the peroxide/crushed aspirin/salt remedy for the swelling. Please work!   Nail Polish Remover WORKED Comments By: Amber Johnson on 2009-02-01 I am shocked to say that the Nail Polish Remover TOTALLY worked. I've had a terrible cold sore on my top lip for 4 days now. The swelling has been awful. I read everyone else's comments on Nail Polish Remover and thought it was worth a try. I put it on a cotton ball, applied it to my cold sore for 5 min and within an hour I could see a change in my cold sore. It had changed in color and now blended in with my lip better it wasn't so white....it was also starting to dry up. Now it is 7 hours later and the swelling is completely gone. This totally worked. I used Nail Polish Remover with Aloe in it.   swollen Comments By: sara on 2009-01-25 my body had a BAD reaction to this! my lip got incredibly swollen in two spots that it was even more noticiable. i even had to go to the doctor who said he'd never seen a lip so swollen from a cold sore before! i am not using this again!   people! Comments By: mag on 2009-01-06 the best thing to do is to consult your doctor for treatment everyone is different therefore the results vary   ice Comments By: luke maumill on 2009-01-13 use ice on all cold sores at there beggining stages one block every hour reduces swelling and does not bring out the blister just a little fat lip   amazing Comments By: nikki on 2009-02-28 i used the nail polish remover for my cold sore and it was almost completely gone by the next day and i didnt even have the huge scab that i usually get after cold sores   I PROMISE THIS WORKS Comments By: matt on 2009-03-01 I put peroxide and nail polish remover on a cotton ball and applied it to my cold sore for 5 minutes and in that time it hurt like hell , after the 5 mins i applied ice to try and prevent the puss from reoccouring , and after that my cold sore was not swolen , and wasn't pussy it was dried out and after this i am quite confident that this will work and remove it by tomorrow or the next day if i repeat this , thank you for suggesting this .   Hope it does work!!! Comments By: vaa on 2009-03-04 I too have this fat lip with the blister right on top. It is very uncomfortable and embarassing. I had to go to work today, I was trying to hide from everyone. I have been using the Abreva, but it does not work. I tried Neosporin, but like others have said...I think it was feeding the little sucker. I just put some nail polish remover with a cotton swab, the pain and tingling is going away as I am typing this. I hope this does work and I can feel confindent again. I guess only time will tell....   The big 3: Remover, Abreva and powder Comments By: Edith on 2009-03-07 I use a combination of Abreva, nail polish remover and powder. This sounds a little crazy but it works. I have a cold sore at the moment. The swelling began Monday and it's Saturday night now. My lip was really swollen Monday night. I VERY CAREFULLY (I cannot stress this enough - you cannot let any of the fluid touch your hands or any other part of the body because then it will spread) popped the huge blister and drained it out on toilet paper which I threw away in a plastic bag so no one else could even tough the tissue. Once I had drained it all I could, and this took more than half an hour, I used the nail polish remover. I literally sat here at the computer with the bottle and a Q-Tip and put the remover on every few minutes. Before I went to bed, I put the Abreva on -- a lot of it. When I woke up, it had begun to dry. I repeated the routine Tuesday night. I know this is disgusting, but I just now picked off the scab. And now here's the important part: I put the cheapest face powder on it I can find. As the area heals, some of the powder will stay on it...it kind of becomes part of the next scab. I work tomorrow, and with some more powder and a little lipstick I will look quite presentable. Don't get me wrong: It will still show a little, but it won't look horrifying. I've had these things for decades and I know that you absolutely HAVE to mess with them in order to clear them up, or at least have them look not so repulsive, within a week. Otherwise they will last for two or even three weeks.   It works!!!!!! Comments By: foxyfoureyes on 2009-03-11 I came on this site desperate for some advice. I've been battling cold sores for nearly 20 years now, and nothing seemed to work. USE THIS REMEDY! I saw results immediately and an hour later it was practically gone!   COld SORES SUCK Comments By: Parrker on 2009-03-20 I used this and its working but its stinging really bad. Man i woke up this mornin and i had 3 new ones and my old one. Its still stinging but they are still there. But thanks! 5 Stars   make aure it's got Acetone in it! Comments By: mustard on 2009-03-20 Make sure the nail polish remover had acetone in it! If it's acetone free then you'll be wasting your time!   This is it! Comments By: myke on 2009-03-27 Okay, where to start .. I get cold sores all the time and it always sucks right when you plan to be sexual with your other. I usually would have cold sores for about 2 weeks. I've tried everything from perscriptions to over the counter creams. I tried the nail polish remover and it worked decently well. It did burn quite a bit but it was well worth it. I put it on about an hour ago and it seems to be drying out. It didn't help the swelling to much but ice does the trick! Thank you very much!!!   amazing. Comments By: Danielle on 2009-04-05 ive suffered for cold sores for a long time now, and ive spent loads trying to find a way of getting rid of them, this morning i woke up and my lip was tingling and i knew it was a cold sore my lip was swollen but ive just tried this and its stoped tingling and i think its going thankyou so much x   EHH Comments By: Anon on 2009-04-10 justs held the polish there for a minute and it def feels like it is drying out, and one of my sores look a little smaller. I guess repeating this process will work more effectively?   Tips on Cold Sores! Comments By: Someone with cold sores on 2009-04-12 Here's some info that I wish I knew a long time ago: -there is NO cure for cold sores. It's a virus and as of now there are no cure for any virus unfortunately. -"Lysine" an amino acid, you can buy at GNC or Vitamin Shoppe can be taken daily as a preventative measure. It will help reduce cold sores but remember cold sores are triggered by: stress, sun light/tanning, and for women, your menstrual cycle. There is no way to totally avoid it if you're infected with the virus. Lack of sleep (which causes a weaker immune system) will trigger it for me like clockwork! -"Valtrex" a prescription drug, is the most effective treatment. It's actually prescribed for Herpes Simplex 2 but it works for cold sores (herpes simplex 1). You need to take it upon the initial "tingle" IF your doctor will prescribes it to you..he might not, and take it 2x a day until you see the sore diminish. An older drug to use is "Zovirax". -ice helps but doesn't get rid of it -once infected, it can only run its course but trying to "shorten" the life of a cold sore is possible. -remember most over the counter stuff you see only helps with the symptoms and DOES NOT get rid of the cold sore. -doing something upon first "tingle" is very important! Usually after that...good luck to ya!   project varnish=coldsore vanish? Comments By: ljd 79 on 2009-04-17 broke out in a big one,ice didnt stop it and zovirax has only eased it so im trying the varnish method as i type.will post results.   Huge sore/swollen lip Comments By: Atian on 2009-04-22 My upper lip is swollen with a gaggle of sores. This all started on Monday. I've been putting abreva on like a maniac, tea tree oil and I even popped some with a lancet, but to no avail. It's still swollen, and crusty. I look like I was bitten by a spider then punch by a monkey(they hit hard). Is it too late to use nail polish remover? I need all the help I can get, I have a huge meeting in front of 40 people on Monday....lol... Life is too funny!   not too sure.... Comments By: Beth on 2009-05-06 i tried the nail varnish remover and it started to take the swelling down, i held the cotton ball on it for maybe 3minutes then left it, the tingling stopped and it felt like the swelling was going down, then i looked in the mirror and found another cluster of blisters that had just formed. and the swellings got worse on the other one now. so annoying   hope this works Comments By: karl on 2009-05-14 my cold sore is big and a different shade of red compared to my lip. if i apply nail polish remover today how will will it take for the colour to change   Wowza Comments By: :) on 2009-05-28 Whoever came up with this idea is a legend, only had to do it once and i can already see the redness and flaky bits going, suh-weet! Me = :D   THanks so much!! Comments By: Anon on 2009-06-05 Its my school prom in a week and i woke up crying this morning thinking I would have it for prom but after trying this remedy i immdiately felt the difference! Thanks your a life saver!   IT WORKS!! Comments By: Emily on 2009-06-29 Genius! who ever came up with this. I just put it on my sore for 20 mins and the size has already reduced and the colour is lighter. i have suffered more than 20 years with these and this is the best thing i have found. woohoo   Ehh. Comments By: sasha on 2009-06-30 The nail polish is a little dangerous for your teeth people. Be careful and use it scarcely. I currently have one that is beginning-- its just a bubble. The way that I take care of them is by putting water and salt every single day. Its gonna sting like crazy but then it goes away. I put salt on it and let it do its job and then I put abreva at night. I put carmex everyday as well. Other things you can do is-- a. baking soda paste b. toothpaste c. peroxide d. triple anti biotic ointment Good luck everyone!   Finally Some Hope!! Comments By: Twizzler on 2009-07-01 Well first off I just want to say thank you so much to you hoosier from coming upo with this incredible method I woke up this morning with a terrible cold sore I was like OMG NOOOO so I quick got on here and started looking I jus tried your method and ALREADY now IU jus did this right now and it already looks a million times better.. Thanks again soo much...   Just about to start. Comments By: May on 2009-07-05 I've read most things on the internet but nail polish remover is a new one. But reading all the other reviews about how much it stings made me hesitate. I have this huge cluster that's joining up and it's killing me! School is tomorrow and I'm already embarassed over it so I'll have to give it a go. I'll post results up in a sec.   i think i love you Comments By: hater of herper on 2009-07-23 i had been using abriva and lysine, hoping it would go away soon. i tried this and now theres only a slight bump thats the same shade as my lip, instead of all red   WOW!!! Comments By: jay on 2009-08-14 WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!! I cannot stress enough how happt i am!! I have been bed bound and house bound for 3 days and felt like my world was coming to an end! tries the tea bag thing, tried anti biotics, tried toothpaste no joy! tried the nail varnish remover, did it sting?? HELL YES!!! BADLY!! BUT SO WORTH IT, result is AMAZING! not sure whether to keep dabbing it on throughout the day? its completely dried it out and the unsightly muck has vanished! any advice??   Who'd a thunk? Comments By: Shade on 2009-08-26 To say that i was apprehnsive about trying this is an understatement, but here's how it all went down, when i first noticed the bump at school yesterday i was panicked. I wanted to go straight home and find anything that would make it go away. I didn't actually feel any tingle or soreness before it appeared so i thought it was something else but no it wasn't so while researching how to treat it i found this. I didn't try it for a full day, because i was thinking about what sort of side affects it might have but by the time i got home from school i decided to just find the nail polish remover and apply. I made sure there was acetone in it, got some cotton balls and dapped away. I've only ever tried melaluca oil to get rid of it but it only knocks a few days off of the two week count and that just ain't enough, not when by the end of the first week it looks hideous and there's no way to hide it because you can't keep your hand over that side of you mouth ALL the time and eventually during those moments when it's not hidden some one will notice, says something and everyone sees it. Now i was really only writing that to pass the time because i've never really been good at the waiting game but now that i check it, it looks better and less noticeable then it was, my lip does look a little bit swollen but not by much and the stinging isn't too bad and i'm pretty sure we all want to know how the genius of a woman who came up with using nail polish remover, came up with it. Who would have thought that N/P Remover had healing qaulities? If any of my friend's ever gets a cold sore I'll definetly be telling them about this, and maybe after they stop looking at me as if i've just gone completely and utterly insane they'll try it. Loved the idea, thanks.   ouch i hate sores... Comments By: Olga on 2009-08-31 i just tapped a soaking cotton ball in N/P remover to my mouth with a bandaid. Another thing i do is periodically check my blisters to pop any newly formed ones in order for N/P remover to do its magic to dry up the skin. another thing that works, i have done this many many times - clear nail polish. When im out and cannot keep applying N/P remover, i layer on clear nailpolish. It isnt very visible, blocks oxygen from the sores and dries sores at the same time. Just remember to take it off periodically, polish removes quite easily, and apply a new fresh coat. I hope it helps someone. It has been my life saver for a few years now.   Working already Comments By: Ellie on 2009-09-27 I got a cold sore yesterday and woke up with another this morning, I came on this site and found the remedy and I have been applying nail varnish remover pretty much constantly for 30 minutes and have Already seen a difference, this remedy is amazing only wish I knew it before!   The nail polish remover trick does work Comments By: Mike on 2009-10-01 The nail polish remover trick does work. I find these creams on the market are an over-priced waste of time. Coldsores need to dry up to be killed off, these creams MOITSURE the sores!!! Nail polish remover burns into them with the acetone. Yes its painfull but it does work, and thats a little price to pay in my books. One problem you may find is after using the nail polish remover on a sore, the sore may be very red and puffy. What I have found to help this after using the nail polish remover on the sore, get an ice cube, pop it in a bag, and press the bag and ice cube agaisnt the cold sore. This helps reduce the swelling and take away the redness. Try it, it works for me. Also, try reducing your food intake of foods that are high in Arginine. Nuts are one of the worst offenders. Hope ive managed to help.   Hoosier7400 Returns Comments By: hoosier7400 on 2009-10-06 Thanks guys this is working still for me been trying it for years. The damn swelling is a pain, but the remover will drain the virus and dry it up. By the way, Im a guy lol.   So far so good Comments By: Anon on 2009-11-19 This cold sore thing is new to me. I have been reading about it and what causes it and how you know your about to get an outbreak. I felt a tingling in my lip in my theatre class and i immediately jumped up to go see it in the bathroom and my lip was really swollen. When I got home I started looking up all these ways to get rid of it. I got a cotton swab and peroxide and nail polish remover on the swab and have been holding it down on my lip...it burns a bit, but you will definitely get pass the pain. It feels like the swelling has gone down. I just really need it gone before next Monday when I go see my parents and i'm hoping that this will work!   it's working 100%/recomended Comments By: pamela on 2009-11-04 i get coldsore very often...and i have it allready 4 2 day's on my upper lip..is red big and nasty...today i try the cure whit nail polish remover and i allready see the results...is allmost gone..thank you very much...who posted this is the best ......xxxxxxxxx   ... Comments By: Clare on 2009-11-12 I have to say this is my first cold sore on my lip! the most visible place it could possibly be, and I have to "meet the parents" tomrrow :( im already nervous enough. I felt the tingle and straight away applied Zovirax cream, took a Voltrex tablet.. Im a very impatient person so i jumped on the internet to see if it is actually possible to stop a cold sore in its tracks and came across this page, I was reluctant, how often does somthing this simple really work? But the reveiws is what made me give it a go, nothing to loose i suppose.. Within 5-10 mins the redness had reduces, 10-15 mins the swelling has gone down! Fingers crossed it just keeps getting better..   acetone Comments By: Wendy on 2009-11-20 IT worked. I used it for about 10mins removing it for a min. in between so I didn't get to many fumes, I also mixed it half&half with water. By morning it was all dried up. Have a slight scab but it's skin toned so you can hardly notice! Hope this works every time. Good luck 2 u!   acetone Comments By: Wendy on 2009-11-16 If your polish remover does NOT work then look on the bottle for "acetone" this is the active ingredient not all nail polish removers contain it because it is a solvent. I have a can of it in my garage and I use it for cleaning parts so I had to think twice about putting it near my mouth. Be careful not to breathe in to much of this stuff it can cause brain damage an even death! What ever you do don't smoke or use near an open flame! I used it no real results yet but it has only been a few moments so we shall see. I will post my results tomorrow. Good luck to all.   zap Comments By: laine on 2009-11-25 This is great to keep the sore from oozing. I used it after the sore burst, and it dried the area. It's great because a scab looks a lot better than a weeping sore.   thank u jesus Comments By: hannah on 2009-12-03 fever blisters always come at the worst times -- i have a speech tomorrow and I had a blister forming on my lip -- It is 1/2 the size it was in only 30 mins ... I also use baby powder to help with the scabbing process .   OMG its AMAZIIN Comments By: Lauryn on 2009-12-06 i wur in a panick fur school tomarra cuz a didnt want a big fat cold sore on mee nose soo i tried loads of remedies worked - until i came tee this website n i tried it n it wur AMAZIIN after 30 minutes 1 could see up to 50% swelliin reduced :)   WOW!! Comments By: Jennifer on 2009-12-16 Ok, So I am applying the nail polish as I write this. ANd to my surprise, the bumps are smaller.. But, my lip is red, and very swollen... I hope it goes away...   thankyouuuu! Comments By: molly on 2009-12-29 this remedy is a life saver. i had a full blown cold sore about a month ago and it was a nightmare, i couldn kiss my boyfriend for 2 weeks! i was really self consious, but it went away using zorivax, but i still took a while. but last night i felt one coming, tiny little bumps under my skin on the lip. so i came onto this site about half an hour ago and tried the NP remover. its already working! :D the blister has gone right down, it does sting abit but its worth it! whoever came up with this is a geniouss in my eyes thanks agen, i will definatly be using this remedy in the future! x   OK, but I found something better Comments By: Anon on 2010-01-13 I usually get cold sores around my nose/upper lip and they occur anywhere between 2-3 times a year to something stupid like 10-12. I have tried various creams to get rid of these little pests but to no avail. The creams made my cold sores more crusty and nasty, and only reduced the healing time by about one day, I found it easier to just leave the cold sore 'til it heals itself which takes about 10 days. I have recently tried various forms to get rid of my cold sores including salt, ice etc. blah blah blah, you name it I've tried it, and some worked alright, but still didn't reduce it by much. I felt the tingly sensation of the cold sore a couple of days ago so thought I'd try this nail varnish remover, at first, it reduced the redness and the tingling, and I thought great, then it got red again, and the tingling came back, I kept on with the remover and applied it about 5/6 times and nothing much else really happened, the blister started rearing it's ugly yellow head and I gave up hope. BUT, I found some surgical spirit in my medicine cupboard and dabbed some of that on, after about 10 minutes, the redness had practically gone, the blister hadn't errupted to anymore than it was than when I applied the spirit, and I have applied it about 3/4 times since and my cold sore is practically gone, within the space of one day. I just wish I had applied it before the blister errupted as I think it may have even just stopped the cold sore completely before it had a chance to form. Seriously guys, if nail varnish remover works for you then keep at it, but for me SURGICAL SPIRIT was a god send, it's also a lot less harmful than varnish remover as it's used for piercings etc. Bottom line, if Nail Varnish Remover doesn't work for you, GET YOURSELF SOME SURGICAL SPIRIT!!   Who would have thought????????? Comments By: veryhappycamper(now) on 2010-01-14 I don't know who first tried putting one of the most harmful solvents on the market on their face, I mean this stuff eats plastic (literally) BUT it actually freagin worked. THANKS so much for this tip but to add my own that helped with the healing of the blister was to use peroxide AFTER this then wait 30 minutes and put on neosporin or medicated lip balm before bed, woke up and it was GONE. im amazed... wow   On the way to victory ... I hope Comments By: Shannon on 2010-01-18 Im desperate to get rid of this ugly thing before i go out this week and am performing on both fri and sat night. I was really reluctant to do this, and have held the stuff on for around 3 minutes so far and i have noticed a slight difference. I hope It goes away or at least keeps the swelling down! I will update later!   awsome Comments By: "Anon" on 2010-01-20 The cold sore is gone I can't believe it!!!!!!!! Nail polish remover worked. Horray!!!!! Thanks to who ever came up with that.   Please try it - def worked for me! Comments By: Stu Clem on 2010-02-14 Dont normally get cold sores but day before yesterday felt a slight tingling in corner of lip after a shave and thought nothing of it - next morning - whilst on Valentines break! noticed swelling with yellowing!!!!! got home and tried my cure all surgical spirit - it stung a little but evaporated instantly so wasnt having any effect - woke up this morning lip very swollen and sore so resorted to google and found this page - wife got her acetone based tesco own brand nail polish remover and I applied it using cotton pad for 5 mins - INCREDIBLE - could feel it going down as the sting intensified - 2 or 3 more treatments later and it feels / looks so much better. Wasnt looking forward to going to work 2moro - feeling much more confident now. As you hold the soaked compress on tilt your head way over to one side to minimise the inhalation of the fumes stright up your nose... Really hope it works as well for you.   Yesss (: Comments By: thomas on 2010-02-22 ive not long dabbed on the n/p remover and i can feel it going down already,its a bit red atm lets hope its better in the morning.The person who thought of this your a life saver!   typical... Comments By: Alexx :) on 2010-02-22 I havent had a coldsore in a year...or a date that i was genienly excited about... its in 2days and i woke up today with the dreaded tingle! Im heading to the shop for some polish remover right away, cheers guys!   It Works! Nail Polish Remover Comments By: Anon on 2010-03-04 Got this tingling feeling and a small bump on my upper lip on Wednesday. By early Thursday morning the blister had spread across my lip. I did some research on fever blisters and found that someone said you can use Finger Nail Polish Remover. Well I decided to do some research on Nail Polish Remover and I found this site. Well, I had already iced the blister for 30 minutes and then I tried the Nail Polish Remover. I must tell you, I don't write reviews on things but I had to give credit to this one. In less than one hour the big blister with all the blisters in it had dissolved. It looked like my normal skin. I was completely surprised. I'm using it every hour until it is completely dried up. I am convinced that Nail Polish Remover works! It stung a little but it was worth it. I was getting ready to pay $75 for this ointment I found online. Now I can save my money. Thanks to everyone that gave their review on this.   Bleurghhh! Comments By: Ste on 2010-03-07 Only thing it done was burn a tiny bit and dry it up and it's still increasing in size now! Plus I have the ABSOLUTE HORRIBLE TASTE of Nail Polish Remover on my lips and it will not go away. Absolutely disgusting.   Wait between applying different remedies, please Comments By: Helen on 2010-03-14 I agree that the docosanol cream leaves you looking crusty and gross... The acetone in nail polish remover works, but be sure to only get it on the blister, it's an irritant to mucous membranes. Surgical spirits are also called "methylated spirits" and basically start with pure ethanol ("200 proof" although that is technically not easy to accomplish) and add 20% methanol to make it undrinkable (dangerous to drink, can blind you). So some very strong Everclear would probably work as well, and would not poison you if you got some in your mouth, either. Peroxide also dries, and you should NEVER apply it where acetone is wet, or acetone where peroxide is wet, the combo is very unsafe. Wait until the previous chemical has dried, at the very least, please, ladies! Ask any chemistry major if you doubt. Good luck to us all!   nail polish Comments By: hello on 2010-03-27 what kind of nail polish remover?   hope it works Comments By: amylou <3 on 2010-04-17 im off out tonight n has jus seen this remedy i hope it wrks iv been holdin it on here for bout 10 mins n i dnt feel the the tinglin nemore so all good at the mo   Nail Polish Remover Does Work Comments By: Anon on 2010-05-11 100% Pure acetone nail polish remover works like a charm. It really does help dry up the irritating cold sore or fever blister. Just be careful to dispose of the used Q-tips (cotton swabs, cotton balls/tissue, etc.) after you apply it and dont reuse it (common sense). Also make sure you keep your hands clean! If you would like, you can apply some Neosporin to the affected area in between acetone applications. After you've cleared your cold sore or fever blister, invest in some L-Lysine capsules (can be found at any drugstore, supplement store, megastore (Walmart, etc.)) and use them in a daily regime, as you would with a multi-vitamin. It'll help suppress the virus so that you'll have less outbreaks. Also, the less your stress yourself, the better.   hope you guys are right Comments By: j hawk on 2010-05-28 im holding it there right now. this small cluster above my lip really needs to go away. i hate cold sores more than anything in the world literally.   it's awesome but dont use too much and dont wet the scab Comments By: Isolde on 2010-07-13 I was going to see my bf today but I felt a strange tingle monday morning. I usually get cold sores on my lips on the same spots but I decided to put abreva on my lips when I felt the tingle. I tried EVERYTHING! Hydrogen peroxide mixed with aspirin and salt. Salt with toothpaste. Alcohol and abreva. My chin was swollen and small blisters formed on my chin an inch away from my lip. I applied all of the above for hours and I fell asleep with a glob of toothpaste on my chin. I popped the blisters too but in the beginning the blister were too small. I woke up and it looked better and the blisters were now a soft crust. I dabbed neosporin but it just made the cold sore fill up with fluid again. I popped the blisters again and I soaked it in nail polish remover. Boy did it burn!!! I had tears in my eyes and when I dried my lip it felt really hot and it was swollen. A few more applications and I now have a scab that was pink on the edges. My lip is red and swollen cause the hydrogen & nail polish burned my lip but my cold sore is dry! Be careful and ice it after applying the nail polish remover. Use abreva every few hours. It will scab up in a day or two. A scab is better than an oozing and weeping wound. It works!!!   It worked so far! Comments By: Tracy on 2010-07-26 I am a long time cold sore sufferer, and this am I tried it, but I actually lanced each fluid filled blister and put the fingernail polish remover directly on it for about a minute. I know they tell you not to pop the blister but you have to, to get the remover to the virus that is in the fluid, make sense? Burned yes, but it didn't advance any further and I am a nurse so I know a thing or 2 about cold sores. So we'll see tomorrow how it looks.   Thank God For Nail Varnish Remover!!! Comments By: Lornie on 2010-08-23 Wow i started feeling the horrible tingle this morning when i woke up and it just seemed to be ever growing!!! but then i foundy this site, cant say how well its working at the moment but i can really feel it working....why waste your morning on chemist stuff that doesnt really work :) Hope i wake up tomorrow with a half clear face ready for work!   Idk?????? Comments By: anon on 2010-08-26 um... idk if this works cuz i held my nail polish remover with acetone in it up to my lip for like 10 min and i dont see any difference so am i doing it wrong or something? hopefully it works cuz i have to give a report to my entire class tomorrow like with 30 something students :\ so anxious to c if it works.   It's cool Comments By: Nish on 2010-09-01 I pu it on even tho my lip is still swollen n I have lil bit of scabs it's better I need the swellin to go n I'll b gud to go thank u   good remedy! Comments By: kenny on 2010-09-03 after putting nail polish remover on, hold a piece of ice on it for 5-10 minutes, and then apply tooth paste covering the whole cold sore. it works great for me everytime.   Absolutely Amazing it really works - Nail Varnish Remover Comments By: helen on 2010-10-23 OMG I cannot believe after waking up yesterday morning yet another coldsore! I have suffered for over 25 years with them and only ever used Zovirax - but as we all know unless u use immed when the tingling starts it doesnt really help much and the buggers still form. I googled cures for coldsores and came onto this site - saw how many of you had recommended Nail Varnish Remover and thought what the hell give it a go. I also bought a btl of hydrogen peroxide which is only under a quid a bottle. Started with that put some on a cotton wall ball and added some water and dabbed the area, then i read about the nail varnish remover to bought some of that and put that on two every half hour all day. Today woken up and cannot believe the difference the blisters are almost gone, still a little red but nothing that foundation cannot hide. MOST AMAZING THING who ever thought this up. PLSE HAVE A GO.   SIMPLY A LIFESAVER!!!! Comments By: mgt2011 on 2010-11-02 I'm 17, and a Senior in highschool. I've battled with gastly cold sores/fever blisters since middle school, and I feel like I can relate to everyone on this site. Well, my boyfriend was over lastnight, and he kissed me in the corner of my mouth and I felt an instant tingling. "STOP!" I screamed, and proceeded to run to the bathroom, knowing that the faster the treatment, the better. I instantly took 4 lysine tablets and applied campho phenique. I woke up at 3am and the cold sore hadn't really worsened, but wasn't showing improvement either. I removed the campho phenique and woke up to google at home remedies. Found this site and all of the encouraging reviews and knew it was my turn. I found pure acetone in my beauty cabinet and it WORKED WONDERS. Like seriously whoever though of this is amazing. It's now 6:18 am, and I'm tired, but to whoever needs encouragement, TRY THIS REMEDY!! It works :) Thank you so so soo much!!!!! :) <3   Oh My! Comments By: sam from westcliff on 2010-11-19 I have cold sores on a regular basis they are the bain of my life, recently they keep coming up on the tip of my nose ? enormous swollen red nose that hurts like hell. I read the comments & thout no way will nail polish remover work if prescription cream doesnt but tried it anyway, after an hour my nose wasnt so red nor as swollen, the blisters are drying up, oh my god i am stunned, gona keep doing it for the rest of the day, its working, thank you for who ever was the first to suggest this   Fingers crossed on the Nail Polish! (Again!) Comments By: Sara on 2010-11-29 I was totally skeptical last year when I read about the nail polish remover trick...but BOY did it work! Now I have a breakout...(its been almost two years!) and I'm praying the nail polish remover does its job. The trick is to gently prick the liquid sacks with a sharp needle. Don't squeeze them or push, just let the liquid come out naturally. Then hold with a q-tip. I also just applied some pure Zinc cream directly on the area in the hopes that it helps to dry it out! Fingers crossed!   IT WORKED Comments By: Ariell on 2010-12-25 its christmas morning and I woke up with 3 huuuuge cold sores and my top lip completely swollen!! I would try anyhting. I put abreva on it and iced it and tried the tea bag..nothing worked! I was nervous at first to put nail polish remover on it but after reading all the great feeback I decided to give it a try. AND IT WORKED. It has only been about 15 minutes and I can already see results! thank you so much!!   ouchh Comments By: ouch on 2011-01-17 OMG this hurtssss it burrnsss like crazy I'm putting the acetone nail polish remover on it right now and it s soo painfullll   tablets Comments By: sarah on 2011-01-22 I dont bother with these techniques anymore. You can now get tablets from your doctor which prevent coldsores they are called Ranbaxy Aciclovir tablets. Absolute mirical workers!!   Miracle!!! Who knew!!!! Comments By: cold sores nomore on 2011-03-21 I have tried everything before with none to minimal results.Abreva always seemed to work the best but is expensive and it was still a 4 to 5 day nightmare. I was sure fingernail polish remover wouldn't work but Ive been applying it every hr or so with a q tip for 5 hrs and it is a huge improvement already. i woke up to is this morn and think they will be gone by tomm. Wish i couldn't patent this as a cold sore remover i would be a millonaire   :/ Comments By: Lucy on 2011-03-21 Been aplying it for about half an hour its gone down a little but now I have a huge lip:/ it burns sooo bad, I was expecting better results but I'm going to continue aplying ever hour and see what happens. Its worth ago:)   cold sores/ fever blisters Comments By: Cindi/ Florida on 2011-04-13 Thanks for the tip. My lip looked terrible this morning.This happens when I start lying in the sun when the seasons change. I had to double coat the make up to cover up my lip and nose. Tonight, after reading this tip, within 30 minutes< I see a huge difference. Thanks sooo much. These things are sooo embarrasing.   REALLY WORKS!!!!!!!!! Comments By: Worked for me!!! on 2011-05-19 About 7 hours into cold sore and based on all the positive reviews here I dabbed a cotton swab into nail polish remover (acetone), applied to my cold sore (smallish) and I have to say that after only a few minutes I noticed that the redness and swelling decreased! It actually feels like the blisters are already dried out. Remarkable!!! So glad I tried it!!! I've had cold sores for close to 30 years and this is the fastest & best non-prescription remedy I've ever tried to treat the blisters. Thanks everyone!!!   graduation...plz work! Comments By: 2011 graduate on 2011-06-02 so my graduation is in 2 days....and i have the biggest cold sore ive ever had in my LIFE!>my lip is twice as big as my upper lip nd the blisters are taking over my whole lip! im trying this crazy idea right now from reading every1 elses experiences....it burns like hell, but my mom says she she's a difference..thanks guys!..pray it gets better!   AMAZING!!! Comments By: Dee on 2011-07-07 I have NEVER had a cold sore before. I felt a tingle a couple of days ago, but didnt think anything of it. I woke this morning and had a cold sore that looked terrible. I tried abreva and salt but it wasnt working fast. I saw this post and read all comments and tried it. IT is AMAZING! it is already working in less then 15 mins. Thanks for this idea, I will definely be passing this remedy on!   Stefani - it's 11:51 I just applies the acetone nailpolish.. Comments By: Stefani vanttinen on 2011-08-14 Ive suffered from cold sores all my life , i havent had one in almost 7 years because i always treat when i feel the tingle , but just the past few days i was really sick and had a real bad fever, i felt the tingle and treated it with viactin bad idea now my lip is huge and the cold sore hurt so bad it's huuuuuge. , so I came on here and decided why not I'll give it a try, I have an I've pack on my lip I keep applying the acetone I shall post results later today but I will let everyone know I immediately felt relief it barely burned also :) good luck everyone ! Let's see how long it takes for this sucker to leave my beautiful lips!   Stefani- Aftermath of the acetone nailpolish treatment Comments By: stefanivanttinen on 2011-08-15 Thanks for the tip, for the past 24 hours I have been applying the nailpolish on and off every hour or so, immediately I had seen improvement but of course not like its a miracle or anything its still on my lip and its almost turned into a scab, it helped make the process go quicker I guess you could say! I am going to keep applying I hope that it goes away by tomorrow .... id say its a good trick but it must be bad to put on your sore, should only use when your completely desperate!! Â