Abreva
"I was surprised to see quite a few negative reviews of Abreva.   It works great for me. As soon as I noticed the itching I put it on right away and as often as I can throughout the day. There've been some times where you can barely notice there's anything on my lip.  It heals up quickly and numbs the pain.   I remember the old days when it would take two weeks or more to fully heal, and it would be a big, awful sore on your lip.  I don't get cold sores that often, but I always have Abreva on hand.   One thing I did notice is that when I had a tube for a long time that was six months or more until the expiration date it didn't work as well as a new tube.   It's expensive, but I think it's totally worth it!"