At a base level, shingles (also known as Herpes Zoster) occurs when a nerve area becomes infected as a result of the varicella-zoster virus. While it can be extremely painful and quite unsightly, it often starts to ease up after a fortnight and is usually gone within a month.
A skin condition that is unsightly, irritating and painful; sound familiar? Indeed, that lovely little aforementioned varicella-zoster virus is also responsible for the common childhood terror, chickenpox.
In fact, anyone who has suffered from chickenpox in the past will retain the usually dormant varicella-zoster virus in their nervous system for the rest of their life until it becomes active on occasion again. This means those with the dormant virus may also be susceptible to shingles, and as most of us contracted chickenpox in our childhoods, it's no surprise that 1 in 5 suffer from shingles at some point in our lives.
Shingles Symptoms?
So, how can you spot it? Well, shingles symptoms are quite straightforward and invariably include the following:
Shingles Treatment?
For those unfortunate enough to suffer from this condition, the good news is that there are a number of different forms of shingles treatment readily available that can alleviate both the discomfort and visibility of the condition.
Firstly, your GP may prescribe you antiviral medication which will limit the spread of shingles over your body; although this is more common in severe cases. It goes without saying that it's very much a case of the earlier the better for the administration of such drugs. It goes without saying that standard painkillers and anti inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen will certainly alleviate some of the painful shingles symptoms.
Finally, there are also many methods of shingles treatment that can be carried out at home. For instance, avoid tight fitted clothes that will rub and irritate areas of skin affected by shingles. And if you remember from childhood battles with chickenpox, a lathering of chamomile lotion can certainly ease itching.
Sadly, shingles cannot be avoided other than by attempting to not contract chickenpox in the first place. As we'll all recall, this is far easier said than done!
A skin condition that is unsightly, irritating and painful; sound familiar? Indeed, that lovely little aforementioned varicella-zoster virus is also responsible for the common childhood terror, chickenpox.
In fact, anyone who has suffered from chickenpox in the past will retain the usually dormant varicella-zoster virus in their nervous system for the rest of their life until it becomes active on occasion again. This means those with the dormant virus may also be susceptible to shingles, and as most of us contracted chickenpox in our childhoods, it's no surprise that 1 in 5 suffer from shingles at some point in our lives.
Shingles Symptoms?
So, how can you spot it? Well, shingles symptoms are quite straightforward and invariably include the following:
- Firstly sufferers of shingles will experience a constant burning sensation on an area of skin which will become quite tender to the touch. The pain will gradually become constant although on some occasions it may be expressed as intermittent sharp stabs.
- A couple of days after the pain has commenced, the most noticeable of shingles symptoms will appear when a rash forms, most commonly on the upper body or face (often around the eyes). The rash will gradually turn into blisters that are very irritating and itchy. Eventually the blistered sites will become dry and scab over before subsiding.
Shingles Treatment?
For those unfortunate enough to suffer from this condition, the good news is that there are a number of different forms of shingles treatment readily available that can alleviate both the discomfort and visibility of the condition.
Firstly, your GP may prescribe you antiviral medication which will limit the spread of shingles over your body; although this is more common in severe cases. It goes without saying that it's very much a case of the earlier the better for the administration of such drugs. It goes without saying that standard painkillers and anti inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen will certainly alleviate some of the painful shingles symptoms.
Finally, there are also many methods of shingles treatment that can be carried out at home. For instance, avoid tight fitted clothes that will rub and irritate areas of skin affected by shingles. And if you remember from childhood battles with chickenpox, a lathering of chamomile lotion can certainly ease itching.
Sadly, shingles cannot be avoided other than by attempting to not contract chickenpox in the first place. As we'll all recall, this is far easier said than done!
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