Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Shingles On Leg And Groin Pictures

Contact Dermatitis Can Cause A Rash And Blisters

Shingles: Pathophysiology, Symptoms, 3 stages of Infection, Complications, Management, Animation.

Contact dermatitis can also cause a rash, blisters, itching, and burning, per the ACAAI. It occurs when the skin comes into contact with an irritant or an allergen, such as soaps, laundry detergents, shampoos, metals, medications, and more. Allergens like poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac can cause red, itchy rashes that may include blisters. Treatment can offer relief and aid healing.

Shingles Treatment: Home Remedies

Bathing is generally allowed, and the affected area can be washed with soap and water. Cool compresses and anti-itching lotions such as calamine lotion may also provide relief from symptoms. An aluminum acetate solution can be used to help dry up the blisters and oozing. Application of petroleum jelly can also aid in healing. Over-the-counter antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine and pain medicines can also help provide relief.

Wearing loose clothing can help avoid extra pain from clothing rubbing against the rash. Avoid close skin-to-skin contact with others who have not had chickenpox, are ill, or who have a weakened immune system to avoid spread of the virus. People who do not have immunity to the virus may catch varicella by having direct contact with the lesions. In this way zoster is similar to cold sores, which are caused by a virus in the same family as varicella.

Read Also: Does Cvs Do Shingles Shots

Shingles Rash In The Eyes

Ophthalmic shingles, or herpes zoster ophthalmicus , is when the shingles rash is in and/or around the eye. It is a severe variant that affects 20% of people with the infection.

If you develop a shingles rash near your eye, contact your healthcare provider right away.

lauraag / Getty Images

HZO usually appears within two to four weeks after a shingles rash starts. People who have a compromised immune system, such as those with HIV/AIDS, are at higher risk for developing this.

All parts of the eye can be affected. For example:

  • You can develop blisters around the eye that may cause the eyelids and surrounding area to swell.
  • The corneaâthe transparent part over the front of the eyeâcan be affected, causing calcification .
  • Blood vessels in the eye could become more pronounced blood flow to the eye could be impacted.

To reduce your risk of long-term eye complications, contact your healthcare provider right away if you have a shingles rash on your face.

Recommended Reading: Is The Shingles Vaccine Covered By Medicare Advantage Plans

Urgent Advice: Get Advice From 111 As Soon As You Suspect Shingles

You might need medicine to help speed up your recovery and avoid longer-lasting problems.

This works best if taken within 3 days of your symptoms starting.

111 will tell you what to do. They can arrange a phone call from a nurse or doctor if you need one.

Go to 111.nhs.uk or .

Get an urgent GP appointment

A GP may be able to treat you.

Ask your GP surgery for an urgent appointment.

What Should I Expect Will Happen To Me If I Get Shingles

Pretty sure I have Shingles. What am I in for? Edit: YEP it

Shingles can be a very painful condition. If you think you have the symptoms of shingles, see your healthcare provider right away. Starting antiviral medications early can ease your discomfort and reduce the duration of your symptoms.

A better approach to shingles is to take action and do what you can to lessen your risk of getting it. If you never had shingles or had a bout of them in the past, talk to your healthcare provider about getting the shingles vaccine. If youve never had chickenpox, talk with your healthcare provider about getting the chickenpox vaccine.

Also Check: What To Do When You Get Shingles Rash

What Types Of Health Care Professionals Treat Cellulitis

Primary care specialists, including internists and family medicine specialists, treat cellulitis. For patients who seek medical treatment at an urgent care center or emergency department, emergency medicine specialists may be the treating physicians. Sometimes infectious disease specialists or surgeons may be involved in the medical treatment of cellulitis.

How Long Does Shingles Last

Most cases of shingles last three to five weeks.

  • The first sign is often burning or tingling pain sometimes it includes numbness or itching on one side of the body.
  • Somewhere between one and five days after the tingling or burning feeling on the skin, a red rash will appear.
  • A few days later, the rash will turn into fluid-filled blisters.
  • About one week to 10 days after that, the blisters dry up and crust over.
  • A couple of weeks later, the scabs clear up.

Also Check: Google Show Me What Shingles Look Like

Antiviral Medicines For Shingles

Antiviral medicines used to treat shingles include aciclovir, famciclovir and valaciclovir. An antiviral medicine is not a cure for shingles, it does not kill the virus but works by stopping the virus from multiplying. So, it may limit the severity of symptoms of the shingles episode.

An antiviral medicine is most useful when started in the early stages of shingles . However, in some cases your doctor may still advise you have an antiviral medicine even if the rash is more than 72 hours old – particularly in elderly people with severe shingles, or if shingles affects an eye.

Antiviral medicines are not advised routinely for everybody with shingles. As a general rule, the following groups of people who develop shingles will normally be advised to take an antiviral medicine:

  • If you are over the age of 50. The older you are, the more risk there is of severe shingles or complications developing and the more likely you are to benefit from treatment.
  • If you are of any age and have any of the following:
  • Shingles that affects the eye or ear.
  • A poorly functioning immune system .
  • Shingles that affects any parts of the body apart from the trunk .
  • Moderate or severe pain.

If prescribed, a course of an antiviral medicine normally lasts seven days.

What If I Have Shingles And A Poor Immune System

Shingles – Daily Do’s of Dermatology

If you have a poor immune system and develop shingles then see your doctor straightaway. You will normally be given antiviral medication whatever your age and will be monitored for complications. People with a poor immune system include:

  • People taking high-dose steroids. per day for more than one week in the previous three months. Or, children who have taken steroids within the previous three months, equivalent to prednisolone 2 mg/kg per day for at least one week, or 1 mg/kg per day for one month.)
  • People on lower doses of steroids in combination with other immunosuppressant medicines.
  • People taking anti-arthritis medications which can affect the bone marrow.
  • People being treated with chemotherapy or generalised radiotherapy, or who have had these treatments within the previous six months.
  • People who have had an organ transplant and are on immunosuppressive treatment.
  • People who have had a bone marrow transplant and who are still immunosuppressed.
  • People with an impaired immune system.
  • People who are immunosuppressed with HIV infection.

Recommended Reading: Do I Need A Prescription For The Shingles Vaccine

Do You Always Get The Typical Rash If You Have Shingles

Occasionally some patients dont get the rash. If you have any of the other symptoms of shingles , see your healthcare provider sooner rather than later. There are effective treatments that can be given early in the disease. If it turns out you dont have shingles, seeing your healthcare provider allows any condition that you do have to be discovered and treated early in its course.

The shingles rash appears on the abdomen and face, neck and shoulders.

Also Check: How Much Is A Shingles Shot At Cvs

Artificial Sweeteners May Raise Risk Of Heart Disease Or Stroke New Research Finds

How Did I Get It? Can I Give It to Someone Else? Only people who’ve had chickenpox can get shingles. On the other hand, being around someone with shingles is a risk only for people who’ve never been exposed to chickenpox if they contract the varicella-zoster virus, they’ll develop chickenpox, not shingles. This poses a particular concern for pregnant women chickenpox early in pregnancy raises the risk of birth defects, while a late-term infection increases the risk of delivering a severely ill infant.

Though shingles is seen most often in older people, it can occur at any age, and 10 to 20 percent of people will develop shingles during their lifetime. Up to 50 percent of people age 80 or older can expect to have at least one episode of shingles.

What Causes Shingles Pain? Pain is the greatest problem with shingles. Postherpetic neuralgia, or PHN, is the term used to describe the pain after the rash has faded. PHN may develop days, weeks or even months after the rash heals. People with PHN suffer from three types of pain:

  • constant aching or burning
  • lancinating pain

This pain can be accompanied by loss of sensation in the affected area. Most patients report an increase in pain after exposure to cold, but not to heat. Some report numbness or tingling.

Treatment The key to the treatment of shingles is to make the diagnosis early. This is difficult because the severe pain may come before the rash by a few days.

When the Pain Persists

Recommended Reading: Can Shingles Break Out On Both Sides Of The Body

Venous Stasis Dermatitis Vs Cellulitis

When there is poor blood flow in the lower legs due to malfunctioning valves in the veins , the result can be another common mimic of cellulitis: venous stasis dermatitis.

It usually appears as redness, says Kaminska. The skin could be swollen, tender, and rashy on the legs. She adds that venous stasis dermatitis is typically bilateral , a telltale sign that it is not cellulitis.

With venous stasis dermatitis, fluid and blood cells can leak out of the vessels into the skin and other tissues, leading to itching, inflammation, and even open sores. Swelling around the ankles, discolored skin, and varicose veins can be early signs of the condition and should be reported to your doctor before your skin gets worse.

Chronic venous insufficiency can lead to a condition known as lipodermatosclerosis, or sclerosing panniculitis. It is an inflammation of the underlying fat that can cause the skin to be hard and red and also mimics cellulitis, says Kaminska. The legs may take on a bowling pin shape. Treatments can include compression therapy, as well as pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, and blood thinners.

Eczema Can Cause Red Itchy Skin With Bumps

genital shingles

Like shingles, a skin allergy can also cause red, bumpy, itchy skin, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology . These reactions include eczema, hives, and contact dermatitis. Eczema can cause dry, red, itchy, irritated skin, per the ACAAI. Small, oozing, fluid-filled bumps may also appear, especially when the skin is infected. Eczema is most common on the face, inside the elbows and behind the knees, and on the hands and feet, per MedlinePlus. There is no cure for eczema, but treatments can help manage the condition.

Don’t Miss: Tamko Heritage 30 Year Shingles

When Should I Get The Shingles Vaccine

The current shingles vaccine is a safe, easy, and more effective way to prevent shingles than the previous vaccine. In fact, it is over 90% effective at preventing shingles. Most adults age 50 and older should get vaccinated with the shingles vaccine, which is given in two doses. You can get the shingles vaccine at your doctors office and at some pharmacies.

You should get the shingles vaccine if you:

  • Have already had chickenpox, the chickenpox vaccine, or shingles
  • Received the prior shingles vaccine called Zostavax
  • Dont remember having had chickenpox

Medicare Part D and private health insurance plans may cover some or all of the cost. Check with Medicare or your health plan to find out if it is covered.

You should not get vaccinated if you:

  • Currently have shingles
  • Are sick or have a fever
  • Had an allergic reaction to a previous dose of the shingles vaccine

If you are unsure about the above criteria or have other health concerns, talk with your doctor before getting the vaccine.

When To Call A Professional

If you suspect shingles, you should call a healthcare professional promptly. Getting started on antiviral medications soon can help reduce your chances of shingles complications, such as postherpetic neuralgia nerve pain that lingers long after the rash clears up.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 10 to 18 percent of people with shingles go on to experience PHN.

If shingles causes an outbreak near your eye, you should get treatment right away. If the infection reaches your eyeball, it can cause scarring and possibly vision loss.

Other rare complications include:

  • hearing problems

Even if youre not sure your rash or blisters are shingles, get checked out. If its a fungal infection, for example, you may get a diagnosis and prescription for medication to treat it.

Also Check: Does The Shingles Vaccine Help With Herpes

Eczema Causes Oozing Bumps Like The Shingles Virus

Eczema is a rash that occurs when the skin has an exaggerated inflammatory response to an irritant. Eczema can result in red, dry, and extremely itchy patches on the skin. In some people, eczema will cause oozing bumps, a condition that could be mistaken for the shingles rash. Eczema cannot be cured, but most people can control it by identifying and avoiding the allergic triggers that cause the condition.

Shingles Complications: Postherpetic Neuralgia

How to tell if a rash needs medical attention

Postherpetic neuralgia is the most common complication of shingles. This is defined as persistence of the nerve pain associated with shingles beyond one month, even after the rash is gone. It occurs from irritation of the sensory nerves by the virus. The pain of PHN can be severe and debilitating. Up to 15% of people with shingles develop PHN. Typically, this occurs in people over 50 years of age. Treatment of shingles with antiviral drugs can reduce the duration and occurrence of postherpetic neuralgia.

Also Check: How To Stop Shingles From Itching

How Do Dermatologists Diagnose Shingles

A dermatologist can often diagnose shingles by looking at the rash on your skin.

If there is any question about whether you have shingles, your dermatologist will scrape a bit of fluid from a blister. This will be sent to a lab where a doctor will look at the fluid under a high-powered microscope.

When you have shingles, the fluid contains the virus that causes shingles. Seeing the virus confirms that you have shingles.

Your dermatologist will also ask about your symptoms. Shingles tends to be painful.

When the shingles rash spreads to an eye, it can affect your eyesight

You can reduce this risk by seeing an ophthalmologist immediately.

How Is Shingles Diagnosed

A diagnosis of shingles is typically based on a physical exam and history, specifically, if the patient has ever had chickenpox. Also, a tissue scraping or culture of the blisters may help confirm the diagnosis. Shingles can be confused with herpes simplex, dermatitis herpetiformis , impetigo , and skin reactions.

If there is a reason to suspect the rash is shingles, antiviral treatment may begin immediately. Early treatment can help shorten the length of the illness and prevent complications, such as postherpetic neuralgia.

You May Like: Rosen+shingle+creek+orlando+united+states+of+america

The Stages Of Shingles

Clinical manifestations divided into 3 phases.

Shingles, or herpes zoster , is an infection caused by the varicella zoster virus which remains in the body following an episode of chickenpox. After lying dormant and forgotten for decades in the neurons of a spinal nerve, it reactivates as shingles.

The primary symptom associated with shingles is a painful red rash that erupts along 1 side of the body. Most commonly presenting as a band around the patients waistline or trunk, the rash can also break out in other locations like the face, neck, eyes, and ears.

Shingles clinical manifestations are divided into 3 distinct phases: preeruptive, acute eruptive, and chronic.

The preeruptive phase usually lasts about 48 hours but can stretch to 10 days in some cases. It is characterized by sensory phenomena along 1 or more dermatomes, which correspond to an area of skin mainly supplied by a single spinal nerve. Symptoms common to this stage include headache, general fatigue, sensitivity to light, and fever.

The chronic phase, also known as postherpetic neuralgia occurs in up to 20% of all patients with shingles. It is defined as recurrent pain lasting more than 4 weeks after the vesicles have healed. Other symptoms include abnormal skin sensations like tingling, burning, and numbness caused by pressure on a nerve and nerve damage . The resulting pain, which can be excruciating and disabling, can last months and even years.

What Specialists Treat Shingles

Diagnosed Shingles side of left thigh development over 5 days. : shingles

Primary care physicians, including internal medicine specialists, family medicine specialists and/or specialists in infectious diseases, can appropriately treat some patients. An emergency medicine physician may start the initial care. However, if there is a chance the eye may be involved, an ophthalmologist should be consulted. If a person is pregnant and gets shingles, they should consult with their ob-gyn physician immediately. For long-term or chronic pain involved in postherpetic neuralgia, a neurologist and/or pain specialists may be involved in the care of the patient.

Read Also: Cvs Shingle Shot

Don’t Miss: Does Medicare Pay For Shingrix Shingles Vaccine

Skin: Condition: Infomation To Treat The Pain Of Postherpetic Neuralgia

Using an anaesthetic ointment before applying a topical analgesic cream may help. The lidocaine can be bought over the counter, but the capsaicin cream needs to be prescribed by a doctor. Treatments that are sometimes also used include antidepressants and anticonvulsant tablets, as well as pain killers, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Popular Articles
Related news