Abreva 10% Docosanol is a cold sore treatment that helps shorten healing time of cold sores (1). Formulated with 10% docosanol, this fever blister and cold sore medication helps to shorten the duration of tingling, pain, burning and itching associated with cold sores if used as directed at the first sign of a tingle. Abreva Cold Sore Treatment penetrates deep (2) to create a barrier around healthy skin cells to prevent the spread of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Abreva Cold Sore lip treatment is a nonprescription cold sore medicine approved by the FDA to shorten healing time to heal cold sores in as few as 2.5 days (1). This healing cream should be applied 5 times a day until your cold sore is fully healed, for a maximum of 10 days. This Abreva 10% Docosanol tube is easy to apply and take on the go for whenever you need a cold sore treatment for lips. (1) When used at the first sign median healing time is 4.1 days, 25% of users healed in 2.5 days (2) Based on laboratory data (3) Among OTC cold sore treatments, when used at the first sign.