Abreva Conceal Cold Sore PatchCold sores, or fever blisters, decide to rear their ugly heads at some of the worst times possible.  This is mainly because they are often triggered by stress[1], and if you are dealing with the pressures of life, you will be stressed.  The Abreva Conceal Invisible Cold Sore Patch works well for hiding the blister.

Although cold sores are ugly, you really shouldn’t try to hide a fever blister with anything.  A lot of people use makeup to disguise it, but after it dries, it looks terrible.  It also gets into the blister and can get it infected.  There are ways to hide them that do work.

In this review, we will tell you how to use it effectively.  We will give you some tips on how to best conceal the sore, and we will share other user’s reviews with you.

Summary

When you suffer from cold sores, you know that they can make you feel as though everyone is staring at you.  Not at you, but at your sore.  This is enough to make a lot of people stay home and miss out on good times.

You don’t have to do that anymore.  When you have a box of these patches on hand, you can put one on over the blister, dab a little bit of lipstick over it, and be on your way.  It is as easy as that.

Some cold sore patches have some healing ointment in them, but this one does not.  It is more like an emergency patch.  It does, however, hide the sore and allow you to put makeup over it without it getting into the sore, which would make it worse.

There is a patch that you can use that does have healing medication inside of it.  It is called the Compeed Invisible Cold Sore Patch.[2]  Click the link to read our review.

How To Use It

These Abreva patches make it very easy to hide your sore.  All that you have to do to use it is to wash your face, and pat the cold sore area dry.  Make sure that it is completely dry, though, or the patch won’t stick.

When you open the package, the patch itself has one side that is the patch, and another side is the applicator tab.  They are numbered 1 and 2, which is nice.

You hold the side marked with 1, at the tab.  Then carefully pull the paper off of the side that has two on it, and put it directly on the sore.  Hold it on the sore for about 20 seconds, and the lift off the applicator tab.  It is that simple.

After the patch is on, you can apply lipstick or concealer over it, without worrying about it looking wrinkled or crusty, as it would if you didn’t have the patch on.

The best kind of makeup to reduce the likelihood of looking bad is an oil-free liquid or cream foundation.  It is also recommended that you use a brush or sponge to lightly dab it onto the patch, instead of using your fingers.  This makes it easier to get a natural look and makes sure that you don’t accidentally move the patch with your fingers.

Even though the patch isn’t medicated, it does allow the sore to breathe, even when it’s hidden.  It is made to allow air in, but not let any makeup or debris in.  This will ensure that the blister doesn’t get any worse.

You can also use lipstick over the patch, but also apply it by lightly dabbing it.  As with the foundation, it would be best to use a liquid form of lipstick with it.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Thoroughly conceals the blister.
  • The patch is very thin.
  • It is easy to put on.
  • You can apply make-up or lipstick over it.
  • It stays on for a long time.

Cons

  • It is not medicated and won’t assist with the healing process.
  • You shouldn’t eat or drink with it on, as the patch may come unstuck.
  • It doesn’t work well for sores on the corners of your mouth.

Using with Abreva Cold Sore Treatment

You can also use the Abreva cold sore treatment under this patch to speed up the healing process of your sore.  Only apply a small dab, or the patch won’t stick as well.

Abreva is well known for how well it works to heal cold sores.[3]  When you’re at home, you can use the treatment without the patch so that it will work even faster.

Customer Reviews

It is easy to apply, and easy to put makeup on if you choose to.  Both men and women use it, as well as teens.  It is safe to use for everyone because it contains no medicine.

The package says it will last up to 8 hours, but not too many people have it on for that long.  Some people have said that it came off if they ate, so this would not be the right patch to use while you are eating or drinking.

There are other patches available that heal as well as conceal cold sores, but this one is thin.  It can also be easily cut down to the right size if it is too big.  Make sure that the area is clean and dry before applying it, and it will hold very well for hours.

It’s nice to know that you can go somewhere on the spur-of-the-moment, and not have to worry about people noticing your cold sore.

Our Verdict

Convenience:3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)
Speed:2 out of 5 stars (2.0 / 5)
Results:2.5 out of 5 stars (2.5 / 5)
Value:2.5 out of 5 stars (2.5 / 5)
Average:2.6 out of 5 stars (2.6 / 5)

References

  1. Cliffe AR, Arbuckle JH, L.Vogel J, et al. Neuronal Stress Pathway Mediating a Histone Methyl/Phospho Switch is Required for Herpes Simplex Virus Reactivation. Cell host & microbe. 2015;18(6):649-658. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2015.11.007.
  2. Karlsmark, T. , Goodman, J. , Drouault, Y. , Lufrano, L. , Pledger, G. Randomized clinical study comparing Compeed® cold sore patch to acyclovir cream 5% in the treatment of herpes simplex labialis. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2018; 22: 1184-1192. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3083.2008.02761.x
  3. Treister N.S., Woo S.B. Topical n-docosanol for management of recurrent herpes labialis. Expert Opin. Pharmacother. 2010;11:853–860. doi: 10.1517/14656561003691847.