Home Remedies

Patients can manage most herpes simplex infections that develop on the skin at home with over-the-counter painkillers and measures to relieve symptoms.

Symptomatic Relief

Several simple steps can produce some relief:

• Hygiene is important. Avoid touching the sores. Wash hands frequently during the day. Fingernails should be scrubbed daily. Keep the body clean.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Keep blisters or sores clean and dry with cornstarch or similar product. (Women should avoid using talcum powder in genital areas; some studies suggest that talcum powder may increase the risk for ovarian cancer.)
• Some people report that drying the genital area with a blow dryer on the cool setting offers relief.
• Avoid tight-fitting clothing, which restricts air circulation and slows healing of the sores.
• Choose cotton underwear, rather than synthetic materials.
• Local application of ice packs may alleviate the pain and help reduce recurrences.
• Lukewarm baths may be helpful.
• Wearing sun block helps prevent sun-triggered recurrence of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1).
• Avoid sex during both outbreaks and prodromes (the early symptoms of herpes), when signs include tingling, itching, or tenderness in the infected areas.
• Over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), can be used to reduce fever and local tenderness.

Herbs and Supplements

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Review Date: 11/05/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)