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Understand your cold sores, and how to have fewer of them. Short, clear lessons from the Labisan research team.

Cold Sore Prevention Protocol

The full daily routine, with the printable PDF inside.

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Field Notes

The full research feed

The BasicsWhat cold sores and HSV-1 actually are, in plain language. All ›
What HSV-1 actually is

A common, lifelong virus that most people carry. Here is the plain version.

Lesson · 2 min read
The tingle window

The first 24 hours matter more than any cream. Here is why.

Lesson · 2 min read
The 5 Stages of a Cold Sore: From Tingle to Healed and What to Expect

Cold sore stages follow a predictable 8 to 12 day arc: prodrome tingle, blister, ulcer, crust, and healing. Knowing exactly which stage you

Field note
How Long Are Cold Sores Contagious? A Stage-by-Stage Answer

How long are cold sores contagious? From the first tingle until the scab is gone and the skin has closed, which is usually 8 to 12 days, wit

Field note
HSV-1 vs HSV-2: Cold Sores vs Genital Herpes, What Is Actually the Same and What Is Different

The two herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2) are biologically similar but clinically distinct in ways that matter for treatment, prevent

Field note
Your TriggersUV, stress, wind, and the other things that wake the virus up. All ›
Why lips need their own SPF

UV is the single biggest cold sore trigger, and lips are usually left bare.

Lesson · 2 min read
Summer Festival Cold Sore Survival Guide

A festival cold sore can ruin three days you paid hundreds for. Here is the realistic prevention plan for all-day sun, short sleep, and outd

Field note
The Cold Sore Travel Kit: What to Pack for Sun, Altitude, and Long Flights

Travel is one of the most reliable cold sore triggers in existence. Sun exposure, altitude, dehydrated cabin air, time-zone-disrupted sleep,

Field note
Why UV Light Is the Number One Cold Sore Trigger and How to Block It

Ultraviolet radiation is the best documented uv light cold sore trigger in the medical literature, and the mechanism is not sunburn: it is a

Field note
PreventionThe daily protocol, SPF, and a routine that keeps lips protected. All ›
Why lips need their own SPF

UV is the single biggest cold sore trigger, and lips are usually left bare.

Lesson · 2 min read
The daily prevention protocol

Five small habits that quietly lower how often you flare up.

Lesson · 2 min read
Inside and outside, the two layers

Why Labisan pairs a protective balm with daily immune support.

Lesson · 2 min read
The Outside-Inside Cold Sore Protocol: Barrier Plus Immune System

Ultraviolet light triggers a measurable share of recurrent cold sores, yet a sunscreen lip balm alone cut recurrences to zero in one control

Field note
Best Lip Balm to Prevent Cold Sores in the Sun (Beach Guide)

Beach cold sore prevention is about more than sunscreen on your face. Sand and water reflect UV onto your lips, salt dries the lip barrier,

Field note
Running and Cold Sores: The UV, Sweat, and Cortisol Triple Trigger Every Runner Needs to Break

Runners log more midday UV hours than almost any other outdoor athlete, and sweat strips the lip barrier continuously for the duration of ev

Field note
Treatment vs PreventionWhy acting early beats reacting late, and what to do in the tingle window. All ›
The tingle window

The first 24 hours matter more than any cream. Here is why.

Lesson · 2 min read
The First 30 Days on the Labisan Hybrid System: An Hour-by-Hour and Day-by-Day Diary

One user, one HSV-1 reactivation triggered by a 6-day ski week, one cold-turkey start on the Labisan dual protocol. Timestamped from the fir

Field note
Does Abreva Actually Work? What the Docosanol Evidence Really Shows

Abreva is the only over the counter cold sore cream the FDA has cleared as an antiviral, and it is also one of the most argued about product

Field note
The 5 Stages of a Cold Sore: From Tingle to Healed and What to Expect

Cold sore stages follow a predictable 8 to 12 day arc: prodrome tingle, blister, ulcer, crust, and healing. Knowing exactly which stage you

Field note
Ingredients & ScienceZinc oxide, graviola, and the evidence behind the two layers. All ›
Inside and outside, the two layers

Why Labisan pairs a protective balm with daily immune support.

Lesson · 2 min read
5 Best Supplements for Immune Support in 2026

An evidence based look at the top 5 supplements for immune health: Vitamin D, Zinc, Elderberry, Echinacea, and Graviola, with research citat

Field note
Lip Balm Addiction: The Dependency Myth, the Real Barrier Science, and What Mineral SPF Formulas Actually Do

The 'lip balm addiction' question is one of the most-searched lip care topics online. The short answer is no, not in any pharmacological sen

Field note
What Is Graviola? Annona Muricata Benefits Guide

Everything you need to know about graviola (soursop): traditional uses, modern research on acetogenins, immune support properties, and how t

Field note
Living with HSV-1Confidence, relationships, travel, and the long game of prevention. All ›
Living well with HSV-1

It is common, it is manageable, and it does not define you.

Lesson · 2 min read
Labisan Since 1931: How a Salzburg Apothecary Built the Cold Sore Lip Balm Austrian Alpine Guides Still Use 95 Years Later

Labisan was first formulated in October 1931 in a small Salzburg apothecary by chemist Andreas Labisan for Austrian alpine guides asking for

Field note
Partner Transmission and HSV-1 Disclosure: What the Conversation Actually Sounds Like and What the Labisan Protocol Changes

If you carry HSV-1, the question of whether to tell a new partner is one of the most uncomfortable conversations in modern dating. Most of t

Field note
The Outside-Inside Cold Sore Protocol: Barrier Plus Immune System

Ultraviolet light triggers a measurable share of recurrent cold sores, yet a sunscreen lip balm alone cut recurrences to zero in one control

Field note

Educational wellness information, not medical advice. Labisan supports prevention and daily lip care. If a cold sore is severe, spreading, near your eyes, or you are worried, please see a clinician.