Unfortunately I am a cold sore sufferer… I do get the odd attack when I am run down, stressed or when I am coming down 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!

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 same ingredients as Zovirax and by sticking on top not only does it avoid the infection to spread but also keeps the sore protected and the constant contact with the active ingredients ensures it constantly works to heal. It absorbs some of the liquids the cold sore produces but at the same time it keeps it moist so that when you are at the later stage when the scab is forming it does not crack so you do not have experience soreness and ultimately bleeding.

The patches do last a really long time even when you drink or eat, sometimes may be the edges might slightly come off but it is overall very resistant (apart from when you brush your teeth and you are in constant contact with water).

In each packet you get 15 patches and the cost of this is £6.99 which means each patch is around 47p. In my opinion this does not come cheap. In my case since I experience cold sores around two to three times a year it means a packet lasts me twelve months if not more, I tend to use two patches during the course of a day and if I use them as soon as I experience a tingle the recovery period is much shorter: as they do say prevention is better than cure!

MORE INFO
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If you need more information just have a look at their website www.compeed.com. The website is easy to navigate and also includes a Frequently Asked Questions which can be useful. Furthermore if you are interested in this the website offers a free sample of the product, this probably will help you decide if Compeed is the right product for you. On top of this if you decide to purchase it, it also contains a direct link to the Boots website so that you can buy it online straight away.

MY OPINION
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In my opinion this product is very good, it is a bit of a shame it is that expensive but hopefully some other brand will produce an equivalent at a cheaper cost for us consumers. Overall I feel that the money is well spent and that my cold sores heal nicely and with less discomfort I used to experience when using Zovirax. Furthermore the patch allows me to be less conscious about it or about passing it on to someone else so for example if I am going out I can easily wear a nice gloss with a slight coverage and the trick is done!
Another positive is that while the Zovirax cream was open and so easily in contact with germs I was a bit conscious to re-using the remaining product for a later sore ia few months later. In that way I would buy a new one, with Compeed instead each patch is sealed so you are guaranteed a germ free product all the time!