Remember those itchy red spots of childhood commonly known as chickenpox. Well, that virus remains dormant in your nerve cells, with a potential to strike again later on in your life. This second eruption of the chickenpox virus is called shingles.
Virtually all adults in the United States have had chickenpox, in some cases so mild that it passed unnoticed. Around 25% of all adults, typically healthy otherwise, will have their shingles flare up. Usually after age 40.
The pain and/or itch from shingles can be anywhere from mild to intense. Some have mostly itching, while other feel pain from the gentlest touch or breeze.
The most common location for shingles to appear is a band around one side of your waist. Another common place is on one side of your face around the eye and on the forehead. But an outbreak may appear anywhere on your body.
Your number of lesions varies, some rashes merge and produce an area that looks like a severe burn, while others may have just a few scattered lesions that don’t really cause much symptoms.
People with compromised immune systems are at special risk of developing shingles.
CDC recommends Zostavax shingles vaccination be given to the 60 and older crowd. This vaccine prevents shingles in those who have never had it or heads off future occurrences in those that have.
There is no cure for shingles, but the severity and duration of an attack can be significantly reduced if you are treated immediately with antiviral medications.