nose possible cold sore

My nurse practioner thought I might have a cold sore in my nose  never had a cold sore before,  but the culture was negative
It hurts very badly. Was told that culture might not work.
What can you do with a very painful sore in your nose so dont know if it is a cold sore or not
it irritates my sinuses too and allergic to preservatives so cant take hardly anything anyway
Any suggestions?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It can be a cold sore in the nose but the possibility of an infected hair follicle, boil or a benign skin growth like a polyp which is pressing on the nerves also cannot be denied. Without examination it is very difficult confirming a diagnosis , so I would suggest you to get an evaluation done from an ENT specialist and preferable a biopsy of the skin done to confirm the diagnosis.

I hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.