Tuesday, March 26, 2024

How Do You Get Shingles On Your Body

What Are The Symptoms Of Shingles On The Scalp

Shingles: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment with Dr. Mark Shalauta | San Diego Health

If you have shingles on the scalp, there are specific symptoms that youre bound to notice:

  • In the area where the rash is about to develop, your skin will feel tingly and sensitive. You might experience pain, itching or soreness of the skin. In the case of scalp shingles, this sensation will be on the head and face.
  • You will probably feel generally unwell. This feeling, known as malaise, is common with many illnesses. You may find yourself feeling lethargic, and having a decreased appetite. You might also experience headaches. Some people will get a fever, accompanied by swollen lymph nodes. Shingles doesnt have any respiratory symptoms.
  • Next will come the tell-tale shingles rash. The rash starts as a group of pimples which will show up on one side of the body. The rash always develops in the area where the virus has been lying dormant. In the case of scalp shingles, these pimples will be on the head or face and might be underneath your hair. Eventually, these spots turn into blisters, fill with pus, and break open. After a week, the blisters will scab over and will start to heal.
  • Although it is extremely rare, some people can get shingles on the scalp without rash. This is called zoster sine herpete. Its the same virus as normal shingles, but it presents all of the symptoms except the rash. Youll still feel tingling, itching, and pain in your scalp, but you wont be able to see anything.
  • What Are The Symptoms Of Shingles

    Early symptoms of shingles may include:

    Other signs and symptoms that appear a few days after the early symptoms include:

    • An itching, tingling or burning feeling in an area of your skin.
    • Redness on your skin in the affected area.
    • Raised rash in a small area of your skin.
    • Fluid-filled blisters that break open then scab over.
    • Mild to severe pain in the area of skin affected.

    Other Complications Of Shingles

    If the shingles rash appears around the eye or forehead, it can cause eye infections and temporary or permanent loss of vision. If the shingles virus attacks the ear, people may develop hearing or balance problems. In rare cases, the shingles virus may attack the brain or spinal cord. These complications can often be prevented by beginning treatment for shingles as soon as possible.

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    How Long Will The Effects Last

    The rash from shingles will heal in 1 to 3 weeks and the pain or irritation will usually go away in 3 to 5 weeks. When shingles occurs on the head or scalp, the symptoms usually go away eventually, but it may take many months.

    If the virus damages a nerve, you may have pain, numbness, or tingling for months or even years after the rash is healed. This is called postherpetic neuralgia. This chronic condition is most likely to occur after a shingles outbreak in people over 50 years old. Taking antiviral medicine as soon as the shingles is diagnosed may help prevent this problem.

    Appearance Of The Shingles Rash

    Shingles

    The eruptive stage of shingles begins a few days later. This is when a rash appears.

    The skin in the area of the prodromal pain caused by shingles will often be sensitive to the touch and reddish in appearance. As these symptoms get worse, it may begin to feel like a sunburn.

    Within three to five days of the initial pain, a few tiny pimple-like spots appear and quickly multiply into clusters, forming a rash that feels prickly to the touch.

    From there, sometimes within hours, the pimples develop into water-filled blisters, or vesicles, that then consolidate into larger blisters. Often, redness and swelling accompany the rash.

    The shingles rash looks very much like the chickenpox rash, with a key difference: Chickenpox blisters are widely scattered over the entire body. With shingles, the rash almost always occupies a finite strip of skin.

    Ultimately, the pain of shingles may get so excruciating that simply grazing the skin with clothing can set off what feels like an electric shock.

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    Is There A Vaccine Against Shingles

    Shingix is currently the only shingles vaccine available in the United States. Its given to people over age 50.

    Previously, an additional vaccine, Zostavax, was used, but it was phased out in the United States as of November 2020.

    According to the CDC, two doses of Shingrix are over 90 percent effective at preventing shingles. Youll retain at least 85 percent protection for 4 years after being vaccinated.

    If you get shingles after being vaccinated, your symptoms will likely be less severe. Youll also have a lower chance of developing postherpetic neuralgia a complication where pain remains even after a shingles rash goes away.

    Shingles usually follows a pattern of development. It typically progresses with the following symptoms:

    • First, you may notice a tingling or burning sensation in your skin.
    • One to 5 days later a rash appears as small red spots.
    • Fluid-filled blisters develop a few days later.
    • After 7 to 10 days, the lesions crust over.
    • The rash disappears over the next 2 to 4 weeks.

    In some cases, pain may persist for several months or even years after the rash has disappeared. This complication, known as postherpetic neuralgia , can be severe enough to affect your quality of life.

    Certain antiseizure medications can help manage the pain. Gabapentin and pregabalin are two that are commonly used.

    Complications Of Shingles: Ramsay Hunt Syndrome & Bacterial Skin Infection

    Also Check: How To Know If Its Shingles

    What Types Of Health Care Professionals Treat Shingles

    Shingles are most commonly diagnosed and treated by a primary care physician or an emergency medicine physician.

    • For certain individuals who develop complications of shingles, a specialist in ophthalmology, neurology, or infectious disease may also be involved.
    • Select patients with postherpetic neuralgia may require the care of a pain specialist.

    If My Shingles Rash Is Mild Or Has Mostly Healed Do I Need To See A Doctor

    How to treat shingles

    Its a good idea to see a doctor whenever you have a case of shingles, no matter how mild.

    Prompt antiviral treatment not only decreases the duration and severity of the rash but can also decrease the chance of developing post-herpetic neuralgia. Post-herpetic neuralgia is a complication of shingles characterized by long-term, debilitating pain.

    If your rash has mostly healed, its still a good idea to see a doctor so they can monitor the rash for changes or complications, such as a bacterial skin infection that forms on top of your existing rash. This is known as a superimposed infection.

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    Ringworm Causes An Itchy Red Circular Rash

    Ringworm is a skin infection that, despite its name, is caused by a fungus, whereas the shingles rash is caused by a virus, according to the CDC. Ringworm can cause a red, itchy, circular rash on your skin. It may also cause scaly, cracked skin and hair loss. The rash can appear on any part of your body, and it spreads easily through skin-to-skin contact or contact with an item contaminated with the fungus, like dirty clothes or a shower floor. Some forms of ringworm can be treated with over-the-counter medication, while others must be treated with prescription antifungal medication.

    Facial Pain And Eye Damage

    Between 10% and 15% of the time, shingles affects the trigeminal gangliona triple-branched nerve that provides sensation to structures in the face. The medical term for head or facial pain due to shingles is “painful trigeminal neuropathy attributed to herpes zoster.”

    Specifically, the trigeminal ganglion involves the eye the cheek and the mandibular branch . Of these, the ophthalmic branch is the one most commonly affected by herpes zoster.

    According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology , 25% of the 300,000 to 500,000 cases of shingles that occur each year are herpes zoster ophthalmicus .

    HZO can affect any part of the eye, from the optic nerve to the conjunctiva . Without antiviral treatment, almost half of people who have shingles near the eye will experience eye damage or even lose an eye, so it’s vital to see an ophthalmologist immediately.

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    Signs And Symptoms Of Shingles

    Shingles may cause mild to severe pain, and the viral rash most commonly appears on the trunk, notes the CDC. Unlike chickenpox, the shingles rash usually occurs on one side of the body or face.

    The first symptom of shingles is usually pain, itching, or tingling in the area where the shingles rash will later appear. This may happen several days before the rash erupts, leading to fluid-filled blisters like those of chicken pox. The blisters typically scab over in 7 to 10 days and clear up within two to four weeks, according to the CDC.

    Other signs and symptoms of shingles may include:

    How To Treat And Prevent Shingles

    Can You Get Shingles Without A Rash

    Shingles is treated using antiviral medications, such as:

    To manage shingles pain, you can also use numbing creams like lidocaine, or place a cool, wet washcloth on your skin.

    It’s important to get treatment as quickly as possible because, “people with shingles can develop long-term pain or itch after the shingles resolves if the virus does too much damage,” Kim says.

    To stop yourself from spreading varicella-zoster to anyone else, try to cover up your rash when possible and avoid directly touching it.

    The best way to prevent shingles is to get a shingles vaccine. The newest vaccine, called Shingrix, is 85% to 90% effective at preventing shingles in people who have already had chickenpox. If you have never had chickenpox, you will need to get the chickenpox vaccine instead.

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    S Of The Shingles Rash

    If you have a rash of blisters on your skin or a rash that looks like any shown below, see your doctor immediately for a diagnosis. If you have shingles, its important to get treatment, preferably within 2 to 3 days.

    If youve had the rash for longer than 2 to 3 days, its still important to see your doctor.

    A typical shingles rash

    Doctors often refer to this rash as the shingles band because it looks like a band that appears on one area of your body, as shown here.

    A rash on one side of the body

    A key that you have shingles is that the rash only develops on one side of your body.

    Close-up of a shingles rash

    The shingles rash often causes a cluster of tiny blisters. You may notice that the skin beneath the blisters is red and inflamed, as shown here.

    The rash will also feel painful.

    Blistering shingles rash on a man’s chest

    Although the rash can begin in one area, you may notice that a few scattered blisters develop in other areas, as shown here.

    Shingles rash on the palm of a man’s hand

    While shingles tends to develop on your body or face, it can appear anywhere on your skin.

    The Shingles Rash Usually Occurs On One Side Of The Body Or Face Most Commonly On The Trunk

    Its easy to mistake a shingles rash for another health condition that affects the skin. The shingles virus typically causes a painful rash and blisters, which can resemble many other skin conditions psoriasis, eczema, and hives among them. However, there are a few signs that your rash is more likely to be shingles than something else.

    To get shingles, you must have had chickenpox. Shingles, or herpes zoster, occurs when the chickenpox virus reactivates after lying dormant in the body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 out of 3 people in the United States will get shingles in their lifetime. While your risk of getting shingles increases as you age, anyone can get it if they had chickenpox, notes the CDC.

    About half of all shingles cases occur in adults age 60 or older, and the risk of getting shingles becomes much greater by age 70, according to the National Institute on Aging.

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    What Problems Can Happen

    Most cases of shingles heal on their own, with or without treatment, and won’t lead to any other problems. In rare cases, shingles can lead to complications, including:

    • Ongoing pain : Damaged nerve fibers in the skin send confused messages to the brain, leading to pain. Pain can go on for a long time after the shingles rash is gone. This is the most common shingles complication.
    • Vision problems: Shingles near or in an eye can lead to vision loss.
    • Skin infections: A shingles rash can become infected with bacteria, leading to impetigo or cellulitis.
    • Nervous system problems: Shingles on the face can involve different nerves that connect to the brain. This can lead to nerve-related problems such as facial paralysis, hearing problems, and problems with balance. In very rare cases, shingles can lead to encephalitis .

    Can You Get Shingles From The Covid

    Shingles: What you need to know about causes, symptoms, and prevention.

    There have been a few reports of shingles happening in people who were vaccinated against COVID-19. The varicella-zoster virus was reactivated in these people.

    A note from Cleveland Clinic

    If youve had chickenpox, youre at risk of developing shingles later in life. Shingles causes a rash that is contagious and painful. The disease can have serious complications. The best thing you can do to reduce your risk is to get the shingles vaccine. The vaccines are safe and effective.

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    What Is The Contagious Period For Shingles

    The virus that causes shingles, the varicella-zoster virus, can be transmitted from person to person by direct contact with the fluid from the active blistering rash. Therefore, susceptible individuals should avoid contact with people who have active shingles, especially pregnant women who have never had chickenpox and immunocompromised individuals. It cannot be transmitted by coughing or sneezing, and it is not contagious before the blisters appear. Once the shingles rash has dried and developed crusting, it generally is not considered to be contagious.

    There are a few important points to consider when discussing the varicella-zoster virus and transmissibility.

    • If an individual who has never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine comes in direct contact with the fluid from the shingles rash, they may go on to develop chickenpox, but they will not immediately develop shingles.
    • It is possible, however, for them to develop shingles later in life, just as it is with others who have previously been exposed to the virus and developed chickenpox.
    • Also, if you have previously been exposed to the varicella-zoster virus and you have had chickenpox, you will not contract the virus from others with shingles.

    How Long Does A Shingles Outbreak Last

    It can take three to five weeks from the time you begin to feel symptoms until the rash totally disappears.

  • First, a few days before the rash appears, you may feel pain in an area on your skin. The pain is described as itching, burning, stabbing or shooting. This usually happens before the rash comes.
  • Next, the raised rash appears as a band or a patch, usually on one side of your body. The rash usually appears around your waistline or on one side of your face, neck, or on the trunk , but not always. It can occur in other areas including your arms and legs.
  • Within three to four days, the rash develops into red, fluid-filled, painful, open blisters.
  • Usually, these blisters begin to dry out and crust over within about 10 days.
  • The scabs clear up about two to three weeks later.
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    When Should I See My Doctor

    See your doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing any symptoms of shingles. Starting treatment with antiviral medicines within 3 days of the rash appearing should reduce the severity of symptoms and the risk of further complications, including post-herpetic neuralgia.

    See your doctor straight away if you have symptoms of shingles and are experiencing the following:

    • symptoms that affect your eye area
    • a temperature of 38°C or higher

    You should also see your doctor if you are pregnant, or have a weakened immune system due to medicine that suppresses the immune system, or a condition that weakens your immune system.

    Check If You Have Shingles

    Treating Shingles Organically Treating Shingles Naturally For Pain

    The first signs of shingles can be:

    • a tingling or painful feeling in an area of skin
    • a headache or feeling generally unwell

    A rash will appear a few days later.

    Usually you get the shingles rash on your chest and tummy, but it can appear anywhere on your body including on your face, eyes and genitals.

    The rash appears as blotches on your skin, on 1 side of your body only. A rash on both the left and right of your body is unlikely to be shingles.

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