When we are in a bad mood, our body’s immunity decreases. In such cases, what you need to be careful of is shingles rashes. Shingles is a disease that can be taken lightly, like a cold, but it causes a lot of pain. Let’s learn about the causes and symptoms of shingles rash.
<Shingles rashes Early symptoms>
Generally, the initial symptoms of shingles are similar to a simple cold, such as body fever, headache, and muscle pain. It also includes pain, burning, or tingling in the area. You may also experience weakened digestion, nausea, and ear pain.
The first symptoms of shingles appear a few days after the virus becomes active, and during this early stage, shingles is not contagious to others.
One of the main symptoms is that pink or red spots begin to appear on one side of the body. These spots are distributed along the nerve pathways and often cause pain in specific areas. Some patients describe feeling a shooting pain in the area where the rash is located.
<Shingles rashes Symptoms>
Over time, the initial signs worsen until distinct shingles symptoms appear, which include the following characteristics:
Blisters
One of the most characteristic symptoms of shingles is blisters. These blisters resemble blisters and are filled with fluid. Blisters are often accompanied by itching and may occur multiple times. These blisters appear in a localized area and do not spread throughout the body. It most commonly occurs on the torso and face, but can appear in other areas as well. In rare cases, it may also occur in the lower body. The blisters are active and direct contact with the contents of the blisters can spread shingles, so caution is required.
scab
Over time, blisters burst, squirt, and ooze, turning into scabs. The scab turns slightly yellow and flattens on the outside of the blister and begins to dry. Each blister takes about 1 to 2 weeks to completely harden. There may be some relief from pain at this stage, but it may continue for months or years. Once all blisters turn into scabs, the risk of spreading the virus is lowered.
Distribution of shingles
The red spots and blisters of shingles usually appear around the ribcage or waist. This may look like a belt. You may feel uncomfortable when wearing clothes in this range, and pain may also occur.
<Contagious>
Shingles is a contagious skin disease that is important to understand and prevent. Here is important information about how contagious shingles is:
Risk of bacterial infection: Shingles is always susceptible to bacterial infection. Open ulcers of all types are susceptible to microorganisms, so there is always a risk of infection.
Prevention of secondary infection: To prevent secondary infection from shingles, you must always keep the wound clean and avoid scratching. In particular, if your immune system is weakened, you need to be more careful because the possibility of secondary infections is much greater.
Contagiousness of blisters: Shingles are highly contagious when blisters form and burst. Therefore, you should avoid skin contact with other people at this time. Especially in cases where skin contact is unavoidable, thorough cleanliness must be maintained to minimize infection.
<Treatment period>
The time it takes for shingles to heal after onset may vary, so let’s find out some information about this.
Typical healing time
Most people are expected to be fully healed within 2 to 4 weeks after developing shingles. During this time, the rash area repairs tissue damage and helps your immune system fight the virus.
Potential for scarring
Some individuals may experience minor scarring at the site of shingles. However, most people can make a full recovery without significant scarring.
Pain persistence
In certain cases, pain in the area of the rash may persist for several months or more. In these cases, a condition known as postherpetic neuralgia may develop. Pain management and professional medical consultation may be required.
<Management>
If you develop shingles, the priority is to visit the hospital for treatment. Since it is a disease that occurs when the immune system is weakened, you must pay attention to strengthening your immunity. Please refer to the following article on strengthening immunity.
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