Can you use mouth tape with a cold sore?

Don't put mouth tape over an active cold sore. A cold sore is contagious from the first tingle until it has completely healed, and putting tape on, sleeping with it and peeling it off means touching and pulling on broken, infectious skin. Take a break from taping, let the sore heal fully, then ease back in. This guide explains why, how to tell when you're clear, and how to tape gently if you're prone to cold sores.

Why shouldn't you tape over a cold sore?

You shouldn't tape over a cold sore because it's contagious, the skin is broken, and adhesive removal can damage skin. No study has looked at mouth taping with cold sores, so this advice comes from general guidance on cold sores and on medical adhesives. On a question like this, caution is the right default.

Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. The World Health Organization estimates that 3.8 billion people under age 50, or 64%, have HSV-1, the main cause of oral herpes, and says most infections cause no symptoms or only mild ones. When a sore does appear, the NHS says it's contagious from the moment you first feel tingling until it has completely healed, and that it can easily spread to other people and to other parts of your body.

That's the first problem with tape. The NHS advises not touching a cold sore apart from applying cream, and washing your hands before and after if you do. Pressing tape on, adjusting it and peeling it off in the morning all involve handling the sore. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says touching a cold sore and then touching another part of your body can spread the virus there, and that a sore near the eye needs an eye doctor right away.

What can adhesive do to broken skin?

Adhesive can strip and irritate skin even when it's healthy, and a cold sore is not healthy skin. A 2022 scoping review of guidance on skin injuries from medical adhesives says patches can damage the skin and cause pain when removed. It defines a medical adhesive-related skin injury as redness, erosion, blisters or other damage that lasts 30 minutes or more after removal, and lists underlying skin conditions and dry skin among the factors that raise the risk.

Cold sores themselves go through stages. The AAD says that within about 48 hours of the first warning signs, sores usually break open, ooze fluid and then crust over into scabs. Tape stuck over any of those stages could pull at the blister, lift the scab or trap moisture against it overnight. Pulling a scab off early is exactly what you want to avoid while the skin heals.

There's also the question of triggers. The AAD lists injury to the area where you've had cold sores among the things that can wake the virus up, alongside stress, fatigue, illness, strong sunlight and hormonal changes. Its self-care advice adds that you're more likely to get cold sores when your lips are dry or cracked, and that pressure on the lips or around the mouth may trigger one. We don't know whether mouth tape does any of this. But if you get cold sores, it's a good reason to choose a gentle tape and to take it off carefully every time.

When is it okay to start mouth taping again?

It's okay to start again once the cold sore has completely healed. That's the point the NHS gives for when a cold sore stops being contagious. The AAD's overview puts it slightly differently, saying you're contagious until all the sores have scabbed over, but a scab is still broken skin, so for taping it makes sense to wait for the later, more cautious point.

The timing varies. The NHS says cold sores should start to heal within 10 days. The AAD says most disappear within 5 to 15 days in healthy people and that many go away without treatment in 7 to 14 days. A sensible checklist before you tape again:

• There's no blister, scab, crust or open skin left.
• The spot doesn't tingle, burn or itch.
• The skin looks and feels close to the rest of your lip.
• Your nose is clear and you can breathe easily through it with your mouth closed.

When you're ready, do a short daytime test first. Sleep Foundation suggests testing tape during the day to make sure you can breathe easily through your nose, and that's also a chance to check the healed spot doesn't sting under the tape. If you feel the familiar tingle of a new cold sore starting, stop taping. The NHS says that tingle is when you become contagious, and it advises people who get cold sores regularly to use antiviral cream as soon as they notice it.

How do you tape around healing skin?

Only tape near a recent cold sore if it has fully healed and the skin is simply a little pink or tender. In that case, keep the adhesive away from that spot. A smaller strip placed so it doesn't touch the area is a cautious option.

A few habits help if you're prone to cold sores:

• Wash your hands before handling tape, and use a fresh strip every night.
• Apply tape to clean, dry skin without stretching it. The scoping review says adhesive applied with tension can cause stress injuries to the skin.
• Peel it off slowly from the edges, at a low angle and close to the skin, as the scoping review recommends. Folding over a corner, as Sleep Foundation suggests, gives you a tab to start from.
• Keep your lips moist during the day. The AAD suggests staying hydrated and using petroleum jelly on dry lips, and lip balm with SPF 30 or higher outdoors. Put balm on after you take the tape off rather than before. Our article on lip balm and mouth tape covers the timing.
• Watch for redness that lasts 30 minutes or more after removal, and give your skin a break if you see it. Our guide to mouth tape skin irritation has more.

What should you do with tape and lip products after a cold sore?

Throw away anything that touched the sore, and don't share. The AAD advises throwing away your toothbrush, lip balm, cosmetics and other products that may have touched the cold sore, and washing towels, washcloths, pillowcases and sheets you used while you had it, to avoid reinfecting yourself. It also says not to share personal items like lip balm, towels or razors while you have a sore.

For mouth tape, that means never reusing a strip, keeping the box closed, and not sharing tape with a partner. If you'd been taping right up until a sore appeared, it's worth washing your pillowcase too. Our article on whether you can reuse mouth tape covers reuse more generally.

What should you do at each stage?

The table below sums up a cautious approach to taping through a cold sore.

When should you see a doctor?

See a doctor about the cold sore if it isn't healing, and about your breathing before you tape if there are warning signs. The NHS says to see a GP if a cold sore hasn't started to heal within 10 days, if it's very large or painful, if you also have swollen, painful gums and mouth sores, or if you have a weakened immune system. The AAD recommends medical care if you have eczema, a cold sore near an eye, several sores or a lot of pain, a sore lasting longer than two weeks, or cold sores six or more times a year. It says some people who get frequent cold sores take a daily antiviral medicine to reduce outbreaks.

On the sleep side, Sleep Foundation says anyone with symptoms of sleep apnea, such as loud snoring, choking or gasping for air during sleep, or excessive daytime fatigue, should talk to a healthcare provider before trying mouth tape, and that people with untreated sleep apnea, chronic nasal congestion or difficulty breathing through the nose shouldn't use it. Try our nose test first. If you're pregnant, ask your clinician before taping. Newborns are especially vulnerable to the cold sore virus, and the NHS warns against kissing a baby while you have a cold sore. We don't recommend mouth tape for children.

Read next

• Mouth tape side effects
• Dry lips in the morning
• Mouth tape skin irritation

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.