What Does Herpes Zoster Look Like

What Is Herpes Zoster

Herpes zoster, or shingles, is a common viral infection of the nerves, which results in a painful rash of small blisters on a strip of skin anywhere on the body. Even after the rash is gone, the pain may continue for months.

• Shingles is relatively rare in children.
• Your child is most at risk if he had chickenpox during the first year of life or if you had chickenpox very late during pregnancy.
• A rash most often occurs on the trunk and buttocks, and usually goes away in one to two weeks.
• Medication may help alleviate some of the pain, but the disease has to run its course.

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.

Contact Dermatitis Can Cause A Rash And Blisters

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.

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Shingles Symptoms: The Rash

The rash associated with herpes zoster begins as small blisters in a reddish background. New blisters form for the next few days, usually 3 to 5 days. Blisters emerge in a path of individual nerves in a specific “ray-like” distribution called a dermatomal pattern. Blisters tend to break out in a band-like pattern over an area of skin.

Herpes Simplex Vs Chickenpox

This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.

Getty Images / AlesVeluscek

Chickenpox is caused by a herpes virus called varicella-zoster virus . While chickenpox can cause blistering and crusting sores like HSV, there are certain tell-tale signs that differentiate them.

With the chickenpox, note that each blister in this photo has its own red base and is not clustered in a group like HSV.

And, unlike HSV, a chickenpox rash can leave behind scars after it heals.

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Shingles Vaccine Side Effects

The shingles vaccine has not been shown to cause any serious side effects or health consequences. Minor side effects of the vaccine include redness, swelling, soreness, or itching at the site of injection, and headache. It is safe for those who have received the shingles vaccine to be around babies or those with weakened immune systems. It has not been shown that a person can develop chickenpox from getting the shingles vaccine, although some people who receive the vaccine may develop a mild chickenpox-like rash near the injection site. This rash should be kept covered and will disappear on its own.

What Should You Expect If You Get Shingles

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 end symptoms earlier.

A better approach to shingles is to take action and do what you can to lessen your risk of getting it. If you’ve never had shingles 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.

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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.

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.

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I’m Pregnant And Have Recently Been Exposed To Someone With Chickenpox How Will This Exposure Affect Me Or My Pregnancy

• Susceptible pregnant women are at risk for associated complications when they contract varicella. Varicella infection causes severe illness in pregnant women, and 10%-20% of those infected develop varicella pneumonia, with mortality reported as high as 40%.
• Because of these risks, pregnant women without evidence of immunity to varicella who have been exposed to the virus may be given varicella-zoster immune globulin to reduce their risk of disease complications.
• If you are pregnant and have never had chickenpox, and you get chickenpox during the:
• First half of your pregnancy, there is a very slight risk for birth defects or miscarriage.
• Second half of your pregnancy, the baby may have infection without having any symptoms and then get shingles later in life.
• Newborns whose mothers develop varicella rash from 5 days before to 2 days after delivery are at risk for neonatal varicella, associated with mortality as high as 30%. These infants should receive preventive treatment with varicella-zoster immune globulin .

What Are Risk Factors For Shingles

Shingles can only occur in individuals who have previously been exposed to the varicella-zoster virus. Risk factors for the development of shingles include the following:

• Increasing age: Though shingles can rarely occur in children, it is much more common in older adults, with the incidence increasing with age. This is thought to be in large part due to waning immunity as people age. Approximately 50% of all cases of shingles occur in adults 60 years of age or older.
• Weakened immune system: Individuals with impaired immune systems have a higher probability of developing shingles. This can be seen in diseases such as cancer and HIV/AIDS, or in individuals taking certain medications. Patients taking steroids or other immunosuppressive medications, such as people who have undergone organ transplants, and individuals with certain autoimmune diseases are at increased risk for developing shingles.
• Psychological and emotional stressors are also thought to possibly contribute to the development of shingles, perhaps from the detrimental effects of stress on the immune system and the person’s health.

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Prodromal Symptoms Of Herpes

Prior to a herpes outbreak, people will often have prodromal symptoms . With herpes, this may include localized genital pain, or tingling or shooting pains in the legs, hips, or buttocks. This may occur hours or days before the actual outbreak.

The outbreak may also be preceded by flu-like symptoms like fever, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes, particularly during the first outbreak.

How Can I Take Care Of Myself

• Take a pain-relief medicine such as acetaminophen. Take other medicine as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
• Put cool, moist washcloths on the rash.
• Rest in bed during the early stages if you have fever and other symptoms.
• Try not to let clothing or bed linens rub against the rash and irritate it.
• You develop worsening pain or fever.
• You develop a severe headache, stiff neck, hearing loss, or changes in your ability to think.
• The blisters show signs of bacterial infection, such as increasing pain or redness, or milky yellow drainage from the blister sites.
• The blisters are close to the eyes or you have pain in your eyes or trouble seeing.
• You have trouble walking.

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Is It Possible To Prevent Shingles With A Vaccine

In October 2017, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved Shingrix, a non-live vaccine to prevent shingles. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices subsequently endorsed Shingrix as the preferred vaccine for the prevention of herpes zoster and its related complications in healthy adults 50 years of age and older. Shingrix is also recommended for adults who previously received the current shingles vaccineZostavax, which was approved by the FDA in 2006. Shingrix, a two-dose vaccine, was found to prevent shingles in more than 90% of patients who received it in clinical trials. By preventing shingles, Shingrix also decreases the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia. Not only does Shingrix provide superior efficacy across all age groups, but it is also felt to confer longer-lasting immunity than Zostavax, which has experienced temporary vaccine shortages due to supply issues. Shingrix is expected to be widely available to U.S. consumers in early 2018. During clinical trials, the most common side effects associated with Shingrix included pain, swelling, redness at the site of injection, headache, muscle aches, fever, chills, and upset stomach.

What Does Shingles Herpes Zoster Look Like

The first thing you should notice is a patch of red spots that develop on the skin, causing the skin around them to turn pink/red. After a while these will blister, and can fill with blood or pus. After this, the blisters will scab, and fall off over a period of 2-3 weeks.

The rash presents on a single area of skin on one side of the body only, never crossing over to the other side. The shape of the rash wholly depends on the the nerve endings affected. While shingles can affect any area, the virus typically presents as a band running around half of the chest, or along the arm/leg. Dark scabs may present following the infection, especially if the attack is severe. It is not common for shingles to affect the area around the face, but in some cases it can present near the eye and cause further complications.

As the shingles virus appears, there may be more rashes like chicken pox that present. This often means that there could be a serious, widespread shingles reaction or that an underlying condition may be at fault.

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Do You Always Get The Typical Rash If You Have Shingles

Occasionally, some people dont get a rash. If you have any of the other symptoms of shingles , see your healthcare provider sooner rather than later. There are effective treatments you can take early for shingles. Even if you dont have shingles, seeing your healthcare provider will help you get your condition diagnosed and treated.

Who Gets Shingles

Anyone who has recovered from chickenpox may develop shingles, including children. However, shingles most commonly occurs in people 50 years old or older. The risk of getting shingles increases as a person gets older. People who have medical conditions that keep the immune system from working properly, like cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and human immunodeficiency virus infections, or people who receive drugs that weaken the immune system, such as steroids and drugs given after organ transplantation, are also at greater risk to get shingles.

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How Is It Treated

It is best to start treatment as soon as possible after you notice the rash. See your healthcare provider to discuss treatment with antiviral medicine, such as acyclovir. This medicine is most effective if you start taking it within the first 3 days of the rash. Antiviral medicine may speed your recovery and lessen the chance that the pain will last for a long time.

Your provider may also recommend or prescribe:

• medicine for pain
• antibacterial salves or lotions to help prevent bacterial infection of the blisters
• corticosteroids

Is There A Treatment For Shingles

Several antiviral medicines, acyclovir , valacyclovir , and famciclovir , are available to treat shingles. These medications should be started as soon as possible after the rash appears and will help shorten the illness and decrease how severe the illness is. Pain medicine may also help with pain caused by shingles. Call your provider as soon as possible to discuss treatment options.

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Herpes Zoster In People Who Received Varicella Vaccine

Although herpes zoster has always been uncommon among children, the rate of herpes zoster in U.S. children has been declining since the routine varicella vaccination program started. Varicella vaccine contains live attenuated VZV, which causes latent infection.

• Children who have been vaccinated against varicella have lower rates of herpes zoster compared to children who had natural infection with varicella. The reason for this is that vaccinated children are less likely to become infected with wild-type VZV, and the risk of reactivation of vaccine-strain VZV appears lower compared with reactivation of wild-type VZV.
• The number of older adults who have received varicella vaccine since it was licensed in 1995 is quite small. There is very little information on the risk of herpes zoster in people who got varicella vaccine as adults.

CDC continues to study the epidemiology of herpes zoster among adults and children and to monitor the effects of the U.S. varicella and herpes zoster vaccination programs.

Preventing The Virus Spreading

If you have the shingles rash, do not share towels or flannels, go swimming, or play contact sports. This will help prevent the virus being passed on to someone who has not had chickenpox.

You should also avoid work or school if your rash is weeping and cannot be covered.

Chickenpox can be particularly dangerous for certain groups of people. If you have shingles, avoid:

• women who are pregnant and have not had chickenpox before as they could catch it from you, which may harm their unborn baby
• people who have a weak immune system, such as someone with HIV or AIDS
• babies less than one month old, unless it is your own baby, in which case your baby should have antibodies to protect them from the virus

Once your blisters have dried and scabbed over, you are no longer contagious and will not need to avoid anyone.

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What Should I Do About An Exposure To Varicella

If you have been in contact with someone with chickenpox or shingles, or if you have a rash-associated illness that might be chickenpox or shingles, discuss your situation with your healthcare provider. Blood tests may be done to see if you have become infected with the virus or have had the disease in the past. If you are pregnant and not immune and have been exposed to chickenpox or shingles, call your healthcare provider immediately. Your provider may choose to treat you with a medication called varicella-zoster immune globulin , but in order for this medication to be most helpful, it needs to be given as soon as possible after your exposure to varicella.

Complications Of Shingles: Ramsay Hunt Syndrome & Bacterial Skin Infection

• Ramsay Hunt syndrome: If shingles affect the nerves of the face, this uncommon complication can lead to facial muscle paralysis, and the characteristic rash can affect the ear and the ear canal, and rarely the mouth. Symptoms may include ear pain, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, and dizziness. Though most people recover fully with treatment, some individuals may have permanent facial weakness and/or hearing loss.
• Bacterial skin infection: A secondary bacterial infection of the skin blisters can sometimes develop, leading to cellulitis or impetigo. These skin infections may be characterized by increasing redness, tenderness, and warmth in and around the area of the rash. Most of these bacterial skin infections are caused by either Staphylococcus aureus or group A Streptococcus bacteria. These bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics.

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Is Herpes Zoster Common

Herpes zoster is more common in people with a depressed immune system and those over the age of 50. It’s quite rare in children, and the symptoms are mild compared to what an adult may experience. Children most at risk for herpes zoster are those who had chickenpox during the first year of life or whose mothers had chickenpox very late during pregnancy.

What Is Shingles What Does Shingles Look Like

Shingle is a disease characterized by a painful, blistering skin rash that affects one side of the body, typically the face or torso. This condition may also be referred to as herpes zoster, zoster, or zona. The word shingles comes from the Latin word cingulum, which means belt. There are approximately 1 million estimated new cases per year in the U.S., with almost one out of every three people developing shingles at some point in their lifetime. Though most people who develop shingles will only have a single episode, there are some who develop recurrent cases of shingles. Shingles are more common in older individuals and in those with weakened immune systems.

The characteristic rash of shingles typically appears after an initial period of burning, tingling, itching, or stinging in the affected area. After a few days, the rash then appears in a stripe or band-like pattern along a nerve path , affecting only one side of the body without crossing the midline. The rash erupts as clusters of small red patches that develop into blisters, which may appear similar to chickenpox. The blisters then break open and slowly begin to dry and eventually crust over.

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