I started getting a cold sore on my chin, the evening before a big meeting. I was absolutely panicked and started googling ways to hide it. Needless to say, I found YouTube videos showing abreva and polysporin patches. I immediately took a midnight trip to shoppers drug mart. I was a little disappointed with the cost and even more so when it took me three attempts to get the polysporin patches on without wrinkles, but once it was on, it was great! Although it didn't make the cold sore invisible, it did diminish the appearance significantly.

I did apply make-up over the patch and found that it looked great for the first hour. Make sure you dab concealer or foundation on the patch lightly, then set with powder. I would not recommend applying make-up on the patch if you're hoping it will last 8 hours. After the first hour, I found the patch edges were coming up slightly and the make-up was making its way underneath and making the patch glaringly obvious.

The patch did seem to stop the cold sore from growing further and I never had to deal with the gross crusty healing process. Having a cold sore is never fun, but it is nice that there is an alternative to the creams. This product doesn't hide it completely, but does make me more comfortable when out in public (and in meetings!).

I have been using this product for the last few outbreaks and I love them! I usually get a cold sore every time the weather changes and always used abreva. With the abreva I woud have to reapply everytime I ate or drank anything which was annoying. The patches at walmart are 16.97 tax and Abreva is 18.97 tax. With the 5.00 off coupon on polysporins website it is way more of a deal! plus I can use more abreva cream than patches. I usually get the sore on my bottom lip right in the middle and find if you use nail sissors to cut the patch in half when it is still on the applicator it fits perfectly with the rounded edge on the bottom of the lip allowing me 30 patches out of the 15 patch box. if you cut yourself you wounldnt just put cream on your cut you would also put a bandaid on it right?

I purchased the patches in advance so that I would have them on hand when my next cold sore started up. At the first tingle last Monday, I stuck one on and followed the instructions to the letter. One week later, it's pretty much gone so it cut a few days off the usual healing time. I am very pleased with the results. What I noticed is that I had no pain and that the cold sore stayed very flat (instead of the normal volcano eruption). The absolute best part was that it hid the unsightly and disgusting sore itself so that I didn't feel self-conscious. There was also none of that cracking and bleeding as it healed. My husband said he didn't even notice the patch or the cold sore. I'm sure the results will be different for everyone, but I was very happy with the product.

Expensive!!! But worth the expense to ensure the sore does not spread! I don't think it speeds my cold sore healing time however they make me feel better knowing my cold sore is contained and will not spread into a larger area. They are on the pricey side and I don't think they should be this expensive. I pair mine with abreeva and haven't had a big ugly cold sore since doing so.

I haven’t had a cold sore in quit awhile, that was until I went to my Dentist for a cleaning last week. That night I could feel one coming on and by morning it was there. I think it has something to do with the gloves they wear, but who knows for sure. I mentioned it to my buddy and she recommended I give Polysporin Cold Sore Healing Patches a try because she found they worked well for her family. The web site has a printable $5 off coupon, so I printed it and pick some up the next day. They can be a bit tricky to put on, but once they are on they stay put for 24 hours at a time. You can put your makeup on right over top of the patch helping to hide it even better while you wait for it to heel. I really liked this part about them, but I didn’t find that they helped to heel my cold sore any faster then anything I’ve tried before. I really think it depend on the person and the severity of their cold sore. You get 15 patches per box that are all individually sealed and because one patch will last you for 24 hours you should have enough to last until its completely gone, or your happy its small enough not to wear one any longer. I’ll have to say this is one product that everyone would have to try and judge for themselves. It was nice to help hide it for me, but like I said it did seem to heel my cold sore any better or faster then what I’ve tried in the past.

Cold sores routinely affect my family. Two out of 5 of us get them often. We have tried everything from prescription creams to oral medication prescribed by the doctor. When we found abreva we were quite happy but still being negatively affected. Then we stumble onto the polysorin cold sore patch. We love it. At the start of a cold sore we place the patch on it starts to heal. I love the idea of a patch because it conceals it & stops it from speading. The wedsite right now is offering a $5.00 coupon for anyone interested in trying them.
http://www.polysporin.ca/p-coldsorehealing

I feel really badly for those writers who had such a terrible experience with the Polysporin cold sore patches. I'm wondering if maybe these are not a good idea for those who get really serious, frequent outbreaks? Like another user, I only get a coldsore about once a year (thank goodness), but it's always a really bad cluster and lasts forever. Nothing has ever worked to reduce them in serverity or duration - and to be honest, these patches were no differnt in that regard. I actually have a permanent, slightly red patch of skin above my upper lip - scar tissue from years of getting cold sores in the exact same spot. :o( This time the outbreak was at the corner of my mouth - very odd - and really bad.

By the time I went in search of the patch, the cold sore had already errupted, so I'm not able to comment if it would really reduce outbreak time if applied at the first tinglings like the package recommends. Nothing has ever done that for me - not even Zovirax.

What I DO LOVE about these things is the coverage. I have a really big, ugly cold sore right now, and my colleagues said they didn't even notice! (they're all women - they would tell me the truth). My husband said it's much nicer to look at the "patch" (which you can hardly see) than the cold sore. I have felt less self conscious about it than ever before, and love the freedom of movement I have. Usually the sores hurt so badly that I can't eat or drink properly, and even talking can be irritating. But I find the patches soothing.

Also like another user here, I LOVED that the patch gives me some coverage around my children. I am still very careful not to kiss them, but if someone accidentally brushed my lip or something, I'm not in full fledged panic.

I would highly recommend these for people who don't get serious and frequent cold sores. And I'm really sympathetic to others - cold sores are so nasty to begin with - the last thing you need is something making it worse!

I have been getting cold sores since I was a child and have been getting outbreaks more and more frequently in the last few years. I have tried many recommended products, prescriptions and home remedies. Nothing prevents me from getting a cold sore anymore. At this point in my life I am simply using suncreen and favorite lip balms as a coping aid.

I decided to give the Polysporin Cold Sore Healing Patch a try as I have nothing to loose. It made my outbreak worse than normal! I have had some very bad multiple cluster type breakouts in the past but most often I just get 1 large blister. I applied the patch at first symptoms of tingling/itching/numb feeling before any bump appeared. The blister continued to form underneath the patch and began to form a cluster of blisters under the whole portion of lip that was covered by the patch. My lip throbbed painfully for a full 3-5 minutes after applying the patch. After the patch had ran its course and began to peel, I decided to persevere and continue to give this product a try. It hurt like a "mother" to pull off the patch!!! I did my best to pull the patch off as instructed but it was well attached and felt like I was ripping a strong piece of tape or bandaid off a very raw and sensitive area, ie a cold sore. And again my lip/cold sore throbbed for 3-5 mins when I applied the new patch.

I did not try to apply any make-up with the patch on. My secondary motive in trying the patch was hoping it would work as a healing agent, for which it has grossly missed its marked. But my main reason for trying the patch was to keep the sore protected from spreading to my young children who randomly and unexpectedly touch my face and mouth. I think the patch has helped in that regard. The patch has stayed on well. The first patch I applied stayed on for the full 8 hrs recommend before it began to peel at the edges. I wore 3 patches, one right after the other, for 8hrs each. I was able to apply the patch easily and did not waste any patches. Although I was not able to always apply it perfectly smooth but well enough to my satisfaction.

I believe the Polysporin Cold Sore Healing Patch does not work. I believe it made my outbreak worse than normal and was painful to use. I would not have a problem with the price IF it actually worked. The only reason I would consider using the patch again is because my kids are more important to me than enduring any pain to myself. I would use the patch only to prevent spreading the virus to them but would not rely on it 100%.

Its hard to not recommend it, it might work for some. But my experience was not good. I get cold sores bad enough and in multiple that i need a prescription. I had run out and felt one coming on and all I had in the house was the patch that I had bought to have on hand to try. Initially it made it feel better, but that was the problem, it masked how bad it was getting. In the morning I realized that there were at least 3 beside the patch. When I tried to take the patch off, it was extremely painful. The experience lead to the second worst batch of cold sores I have ever had. I tried again near the end to cover it up as I was going out for dinner, and it did work, but I don't think it helped other than hiding it. It lasted only a few hours, and for every one I put on, I wasted one. Not for people who get serious cold sores.

After using this product for the first time I am very impressed. I get a cold sore every two years or so, always in the same spot, very near the corner of my lower lip. Usually it takes 10-12 days for the whole sore life cycle, which is a long time.
This product is meant to be used as soon as possible in order to be most effective-meaning as soon as you feel the tingling/itching.
This time around I did not realize the sore was coming early on and by the time I felt the pain the sore was already 2mm in size. I immediately applied the first patch. Half of the patch was distributed on the lip and the other half on the skin below the lip. Initially due to lack of experience with the product the lower portion of the patch was not applied as smoothly as I would have liked, but since I was staying home I did not replace it-it's a pricey product so it was a shame to waste the patch. I was more careful with subsequent applications and became more proficient at it to the degree that the patch would virtually disappear and blend with the skin.
I left the patch for the rest of the day(6 hours) until I discovered that eating/drinking and brushing teeth would make the portion of the patch that was placed on the lip to lose its adhesive properties. I simply replaced the patch and went to sleep. The next morning I was surprised to discover that the sore remained the same size and was not increasing in size. I did find that the patch was too large and with multiple applications was beginning to irritate the skin below the lip. So I experimented with cutting the patch to different sizes but still ensuring I did not compromise the ease of application and adhesiveness. I did not apply any make-up over it as I suspected it would not look that great, plus I found that I didn't NEED to apply any makeup to camouflage the sore. The patch made it virtually invisible to others. My husband was very impressed.
Overall by end of day 5 the sore was gone- nothing short of a miracle for me since healing time was cut in at least half.
I did find that the patch lasted less than the 8 hours promised, more like 5-6, but I suspect that had something to do with my frequency of eating/drinking/teeth brushing. I used on average 4 patches per day for 3 days and then I used the cutoff portions of the patch for the 4th day. Day 5 I did not need to use anything at all.
Pricey product, but I found it to be well worth the money. I suspect it would be less effective on a well developed sore with crusting which might explain the previous negative review. Like anything out there, you need to try a product on yourself to see if it works for you. It did for me and I will be using it in the future. In fact I will keep a couple of the patches in my wallet for easy access. Highly recommended!