I've suffered with cold sores for as long as I can remember. The creams have helped but they've never stopped the sore from developing and then going all horrible and scabby. I also know just how infectious they are and would hate to pass them on to anyone. Which is why, when the first one ... Read review
Compeed Cold Sore Patch is a breakthrough invisible patch that uses a patent-pending ... more
ingredient ultra thin hydrocolloid-075 to treat cold sores from start to finish.Applied with a patent-pending no-touch design, butterfly applicator, the Compeed Cold S...
Postage & Packaging: £2.00 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Compeed Cold Sore Patch is a breakthrough invisible patch that uses a patent-pending ... more
ingredient ultra thin hydrocolloid-075 to treat cold sores from start to finish.Applied with a patent-pending no-touch design, butterfly applicator, the Compeed Cold S...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Easy to use, very effective Disadvantages: Do pull your skin off if you're not careful
I've suffered with cold sores for as long as I can remember. The creams have helped but they've never stopped the sore from developing and then going all horrible and scabby. I also know just how infectious they are and would hate to pass them on to anyone. Which is why, when the first one since the birth of my son, reared its ugly head I became rather worried. As any mother will tell you it's nigh on impossible to prevent your baby from coming into ... ...them up so much when they're little. My son is currently in the 'flailing about' stage and regularly smacks me one in the mouth. Of course the first time he did this after I spotted the cold sore, I went into full blown 'mummy panic' mode, grabbed his little wrist and held on tight until I could scrub his hand down with a wipe, because he's also in the 'shove everything in his mouth' stage.
So, for me the selling point of these patches ... more
I've suffered with cold sores for as long as I can remember. The creams have helped but they've never stopped the sore from developing and then going all horrible and scabby. I also know just how infectious they are and would hate to pass them on to anyone. Which is why, when the first one since the birth of my son, reared its ugly head I became rather worried. As any mother will tell you it's nigh on impossible to prevent your baby from coming into contact with your face, especially when you have to pick them up so much when they're little. My son is currently in the 'flailing about' stage and regularly smacks me one in the mouth. Of course the first time he did this after I spotted the cold sore, I went into full blown 'mummy panic' mode, grabbed his little wrist and held on tight until I could scrub his hand down with a wipe, because he's also in the 'shove everything in his mouth' stage.
So, for me the selling point of these patches was the fact that they provide an infection barrier. Any other benefits were secondary and I was somewhat sceptical of their abilities to disguise and clear up the cold sore.
My OH was despatched to obtain these little patches from Boots at £6.99 for a pack of 15 patches. They come in a small plastic case which has a mirror stuck to the inside of the lid with a piece of double-sided foam tape. This had already fallen off before I opened my pack and I couldn't get it to stay stuck again. It was also more of a safety mirror and a bit dark, so I don't know how much use it would be anyway.
The patches are individually wrapped in plastic sleeves, much like a plaster. Once you get this open there is a patch attached to an applicator. You pull on both ends of this applicator to release the patch. One end will come away more easily than the other, so that half the patch is exposed, you stick this half down, then pull away the other half of the applicator and stick the rest of the patch down.
According to the instructions, each patch should last for 8 - 10 hours, and 15 patches should be enough to treat one cold sore.
I never detect cold sores when they're in the 'tingly' stage, so mine was already a blister when the first patch went on. I immediately noticed a difference in the visibility of the cold sore. From a distance you could barely tell there was anything there and even close up it was much more discreet than normal. The patch itself virtually disappeared, just a slight wrinkling around the edges where it didn't quite lie flat over my lip. The cold sore was right in the middle up my top lip, so a pretty uneven surface to work with.
The patch itself is sticky all over to help it stick down, however it can start to come unstuck quite easily once it gets wet. Given the particular location of mine I found I had to be careful eating and especially drinking. In fact, I took to drinking cold drinks with a straw, although the patch only really started to detach where it was almost in my mouth. The downside of it being sticky all over comes when it's time to remove it. Because it keeps the cold sore moist, to prevent it from splitting and scabbing over, the soft skin on the top of the blister stuck to the patch and then pulled off when I removed the patch exposing a red not-quite-healed area underneath. Once I was happy that the cold sore had cleared up and I stopped using the patches, this area then did scab over. However, it was far smaller and cleaner than it would have been without the patches. To prevent this from happening again I think it would help to soak the area with water first, to soften up the glue, before trying to remove it gently.
The biggest benefit I noticed was in the itching, or rather the lack of itching. Normally cold sores irritate the hell out of me by itching all the time, and the creams were never much good at stopping that. During the time I was using the patches I barely felt so much as a niggle from it.
Although the pack says that 15 patches is enough to treat one cold sore, I didn't actually use all the patches. After four and a half days of using them, my cold sore was down to the point of surface healing, and I stopped using them, with 5 patches left in the box. Bear in mind that I didn't start using them until the sore had already developed into a blister.
Finally, here's a list of things that I found would definitely cause the patch to come unstuck:
Cleaning my teeth Having a wash/shower Drinking without due care and attention Ditto on the eating Trying to eat corn on the cob
With the morning ablutions occurring at a time when I wanted to change my patch anyway, I found it best to remove the old patch first and then put the new one on when I'd done.
I can't say for sure whether they were effective in preventing me from passing the infection on to my son, as I was still very careful about my contact with him, but he hasn't shown any signs of having caught them.
Overall, a great little product that I shall definitely be buying again, and I would recommend it to anyone who suffers.
*** UPDATE ***
Over a year on since I started using the patches, I'm still using them and they are still working brilliantly. I've had several more cold sores in the meantime but my son remains coldsore free.
Also, since writing my original review I have managed to detect and treat a coldsore at the 'tingly' stage, and only had to use one patch as it stopped the coldsore dead in it's tracks!
I've also found that the patch is less prone to being disturbed by eating and drinking if the coldsore is on your lower lip.
Advantages: Clears the coldsores quickly Disadvantages: Does not make the coldsore look like it's not there like it claims to do!
...the point on buying the compeed as i did not have a coldsore. Guess what decided to pop up on my face the night before my year 11 prom! Yes, thats right a COLDSORE!! It could honestly have not come at a more better timing (not). I remember sitting in my living room just wanting to cry, it was my prom and i wanted to look stunning, how was i going to look like that with a big hideous lump on my face! That's when the compeed came to rescue me. I got ... ...The packaging of the compeed is quite unusual, it has a mirror inside which is handy if your out and about and you need to change your compeed and have not got a mirror with you. There are 15 patches and all 15 are meant to be used to treat an outbreak. The compeeds themselves are in a clear rectangle shaped wrapper and the compeeds are circular with a sticky adhesive on one side (the bit that goes on the coldsore) and a non sticky bit on the other ...
x_dani_x 22.05.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Compeed Cold Sore Patch
Advantages: You get a handy mirror Disadvantages: Everything else - They are PANTS!!!!
...Zovirax!
So, to conclude, Compeed cold sore patches are pants, pants, pants and double pants!!!!!!!
Compeed cold sore patches are available from:
www.boots.com for £6.99
www.tesco.com for £5.93
www.sainsburys.co.uk for £5.93
PS - you can find out about and order a free sample of Compeed cold sore patches at www.compeed.co.uk (why you would want to, I do not know!). ...
FunkyFaulkner 28.10.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Compeed Cold Sore Patch
Advantages: It works and hides it well Disadvantages: Can be expensive
...with a cold and until Compeed came on the market I was forced to leave my herpes exposed with a mountain of white Zovirax cream on top which inevitably I ended up swallowing anyway!
Compeed is a totally innovative product and if you do suffer of cold sores I would definitely suggest you to give it a go!
WHAT IS COMPEED?
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Compeed is a medicated round sticky and transparent patch that goes on your cold sore. It basically contains the ... ...PACKAGING AND PRICE
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Compeed is sold inside a plastic box, each patch is sealed separately just like a normal plaster which ensures these are totally clean. What I find very clever of this product is not only how it works but also the fact that inside the plastic box you do find a small mirror (poor quality but still effective) which allows you to use this while you are on the go.
In each packet you get 15 patches and the cost of this ...
petal99 13.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Compeed Cold Sore Patch
Advantages: Practical and easy to use Disadvantages: Can rip your skin off and also doesn't stay on if contact with water.
...they had available which was Compeed Cold Sore patch.
I was a bit dubious at first but I thought I might as well try it as I tried everything else anyway.
The Claim:
Invisible sticky medicated patch that you applied on the sore on your lip and that will treat every stage of the cold sore, water resistant, help prevent contamination, only one patch needed every 8 hours.
The product:
The patches are about the size of a 5p coin and they come into ... ...to keep in your handbag for us ladies or in your pocket for gents.
When you open the box you find 15 little patches and a mirror stuck to one side of the box making it really easy to apply the patch anywhere.
The patches are like little transparent round sticky plasters and work with the same plastic backing that you need to peel off.
Dead easy to apply, you peel off the backing and apply on the infected area on your lips and hey presto no more ...
Tish29 22.11.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Compeed Cold Sore Patch
Advantages: it works! no need to reapply frequently as with a cream, relatively discreet Disadvantages: peels off a little after eating/drinking
...I thought I would give Compeed patches a go. They were easily available at the local supermarket and cost £6.99- which I think is comparable with other coldsore treatments.
The treatment came in a little packet with a leaflet that told you about coldsores and the different stages of an outbreak (the information can also be found on their website here: http://www.compeed.co.uk/) Some people might think it's irrelevent but I found it quite interesting! ... ...getting coldsores.
There were clear instructions and I found the patch easy to put on. There is a small mirror inside the case but I found this too blurry to see exactly where to put the patch in some lights. It's not a huge problem as you can easily find mirrors in public toilets etc.
The patches were thin and less shiny than I had imagined. they were visible when I looked, but not obvious. You can put make up on over the top, which would probably ...
tumblebiscuit 26.12.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Compeed Cold Sore Patch
