Is benzoyl peroxide and benzyl alcohol the same thing?

I either have a cold sore or a pimple right on my lip line. I've only had a few cold sores in my life and don't remember what it was like. Unfortunately, I do get pimples often. The cold sore medicine has benzyl alcohol in it and acne medicine has benzoyl peroxide, so I wonder if they will give same outcome.





Thanks!Is benzoyl peroxide and benzyl alcohol the same thing?
Benzoyl peroxide is an oxidizing agent that kills the bacteria common in acne eruptions.





Cold sores are viral in nature and aren't effectively treated by oxidation. Benzyl alcohol acts a numbing agent, which is about all the relief available from OTC medications.





So benzoyl peroxide won't help your cold sore, and benzyl alcohol won't do much for your acne.





As you may know the Herpes I virus is blamed for cold sores. It's one of those bugs you can never get rid of, and it causes repeated eruptions throughout life. For me, fortunately, eruptions became less and less frequent, and I haven't had one for many years.





None of that is helpful, however, when you have this ugly thing right in the middle of your face. To address, that, I used to lance and drain those horrid little pus-filled sores, which certainly seemed to hasten healing dramatically.


Now with the internet, I see that the procedure is described on many pages. If you want to take that route, check out the links or search for more examples.