Cold Sore After Lip Tattoo

Lips are especially sensitive. The skin of the lip is very thin compared to the typical face skin. Blood vessels appear through the skin of the lips which leads to their notable red coloring. Since lips are very vascular and because of a high number of nerve endings any trauma around the mouth area may cause an occurrence of cold sores.

What is a Cold Sore and How it Might Affect Healed Results

Cold sores are caused by Herpes Simplex Virus HSV type 1. Treatment can help but this condition can’t be cured completely.

Over 90% of people get at least one cold sore in their life. Cold sores are also called fever blisters, that can show on every part of the body, mostly on lips. They appear as fluid-filled blisters that can cause discomforts, such as tingling, pain, and burning. When you experience blisters they break and ooze, building yellow scab and eventually they fall off.

Your body may develop antibodies, but if not you may suffer blisters for a lifetime. Cold sores mostly spread from person to person by close contact.

Some things may trigger the outbreak like stress, fever, infection, allergies, sunburns. Usually, they heal nicely but sometimes can leave scars. Permanent makeup lip color helps cover unwanted white spots on your lips.

Cold Sore as Temporary Side Effect Of Permanent Lip Tattoo

The stimulation from the needle during lip tattooing can bring out blisters. It can ruin the procedure and make the healing process much worse. What is more, it might result in pigment loss. In this case, another touch-up is required to fill in faded spots. It is usually a few days after the procedure that cold sore pain begins.

Please remember that cold sores could happen to anyone at any time after the procedure. It is not a sign of incorrect treatment or lack of safety, it is the reaction of the skin to the procedure.

Delicate and gentle permanent makeup machine work can reduce the risk, also please remember about right aftercare and moisturizing your lips only with cream recommended by your technician. Do not rub, traumatize, touch, or pick at the treated area. If scabs appear, do not pick them off. People who get cold sores will need to take preventive antiviral medication.

During the initial healing period, there should be minimal scabbing or flaking of the skin. If you experience an itching or burning sensation contact the doctor, inform your Permanent Makeup Artist, and mostly remember it is temporary. Please don’t use any homemade remedies, since they might cause permanent damage to your skin.

Can You Get a Lip Tattoo with Cold Sore

If you have any history of cold sores, fever blisters, caused by the virus herpes simplex, you could contact your physician to obtain and take the proper prescription medication to prevent such outbreaks. You can still have lip tattooing done.

You will need to take the cold sore medication for your touch-up just as you did for your initial procedure. If you have an active cold sore you need to reschedule your appointment and wait until it fully heals. Please consult with your doctor taking antiviral medications for a longer period of time.

How To Treat a Cold Sore Before And After Lip Tattoo

It is often recommended to take medicine for at least 3 days before and 3 days after the procedure. If you suffer cold sores more often you can consider longer treatment.

Every case is different so might need a different dosage. Many physicians prescribe oral medication:

• Valtrex
• Valacyclovir
• Acyclovir
• Famvir
• Famciclovir
• Zovirax

Please follow your doctor's instructions.

Prevention treatment includes also taking L-lysine supplements. Lysine supplements may help prevent HSV 1 from replicating and reduce the duration of a cold sore. Lysine supplements can also help prevent also future cold sores from developing. It is important to speak to a doctor or pharmacist about dosage and use.

Some clients with permanent lip color have noticed the reduced occurrence of cold sores on their lips. The pigment may offer a layer of protection to lip tissue, but there is no proper medical research on this topic to confirm it.