Take the Shingles Quiz 26k724 Shingles Slideshow Pictures Gallery of Skin Problems and Image Collection

Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Shingles Symptoms and Signs

Depending on the nerves involved, shingles can affect many parts of the body.

• The first symptom of shingles is often extreme sensitivity or pain in a broad band on one side of the body (see Figure 1 for an example of dermatomes (areas were individual nerves from the spine function). The sensation can be itching, tingling, burning, constant aching, or a deep, shooting, or "lightning bolt" pain. If these symptoms appear on the face, especially near the eyes, seek medical help immediately. Other nonspecific symptoms that can occur at the same time are fever, chills, headache, and itching.




Fig. 1: Picture of examples of dermatomes; SOURCE: CDC



• Typically, one to three days after the pain starts, a rash with raised, red bumps and blisters erupts on the skin in the same distribution as the pain. They become pus-filled, then form scabs by about 10-12 days. In a few cases, only the pain is present without the rash or blisters.



• The rash disappears as the scabs fall off in the next two to three weeks, and scarring may result.



• Some patients develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), in which the localized pain remains even after the rash is gone. As many as 15% of people with shingles develop postherpetic neuralgia; most of these cases occur in people over 50 years of age.