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Cold sores caused by herpes simplex tend to run their courses no matter what the treatment -- even penciclovir cream, marketed specifically for treating cold sores, does not achieve very dramatic results. Might adding a topical steroid preparation to antivirals help?
Forty-nine volunteers with histories of sunlight-induced herpes labialis (71 percent female; mean age, 41) were recruited through advertisements and were given supplies of famciclovir tablets; in addition, participants were randomized to receive either 0.05 percent fluocinonide gel or a look-alike inert vehicle. All were exposed to ultraviolet radiation under a standard experimental protocol and were told to start medications within an hour of developing signs or symptoms of col…