Cold Sores Do Not Care About Your Schedule
Brian Armer
Wednesday night, 9:47 p.m. Tessa, a college sophomore preparing for her first major jiu-jitsu tournament, had her tournament things packed three days early. Blue belt. Eight months of 5 a.m. drilling, cutting weight, and giving up Friday nights with her friends. Then she brushed her teeth, looked in the mirror, and felt it. A tiny, familiar tingle right at the corner of her lip.
She knew what that could mean for Saturday. A skin check stood between her and the first match. The work she had already done couldn’t make the timing any better. Neither could the people counting on seeing her compete. Cold sores do not care about your schedule.
Tessa sat on the edge of the bathtub and thought about her coach, her teammates, and the eight months she had already given. For weeks, Saturday had been the thing she was working toward. Now she was worried about whether she would even get to begin.
She reached for her Zombie Lips and applied it at that first familiar sign. Again in the morning. Again at lunch. Again before bed. She followed the product’s directions for cold-sore care, applying at least three times daily.
Saturday morning, Tessa stood in line for skin checks with her heart pounding in her ears. There was nothing left to rehearse in that line. No move to drill. No extra early morning to put in. She had done her preparation. Now she waited.
The official looked at her arms. Her hands. Her face.
He waved her through.
An hour later, she stepped onto the mat and slapped hands with her first opponent. For the next six minutes, she was not thinking about her lip. She was thinking about the eight months. The 5 a.m. alarms. The evenings her teammates had spent helping her get ready.
She was finally doing the thing she came to do.
Product use alone does not establish clearance for contact sports. If cold sores are frequent, severe, or near your eyes, talk to your doctor.
What big day are you looking forward to? Zombie Lips brings all-natural lip conditioning and cold-sore care into one balm, for everyday confidence and the moments that need extra attention.