The shingles virus is noted for the intense pain accompanying the shingles rash. Although most people suffer only one attack, repeated bouts of the rash can occur–usually located at the same place as the first rash. Even after the shingles rash disappears, some patients continue to have pain at the site of the rash. This pain is called postherpetic neuralgia. Some researchers believe shingles occur when the immune system is weakened, but there is no definitive answer. There is medication that will shorten the length of the outbreak. In order to be effective, you should be seen by a doctor within the first 72 hours the outbreak of the rash. The rash caused by shingles and the extreme pain are just a couple of symptoms, but there are more symptoms of shingles.

Shingles will do damage to your skin. Once you are over the outbreak, the skin at the site of the rash will be dry, flaky, and perhaps scarred. It will need a little extra care to get it supple again. Be sure to use a moisturizing soap and lotion until it’s back to normal.

But there can be exceptions to this. For example, what would happen if someone with shingles interacts with someone who hasn’t had chicken pox? In such a case, the virus can be transmitted, but then, the newly affected person will not get shingles – he will get chicken pox.

Consider another situation – someone has chicken pox, so can he spread the shingles disease? This issue is raised because it is the same virus that causes both these ailments. The answer to this is in the negative. This is because for the virus to become effective, it has to reside in the nervous system for a while. So if someone not having the virus comes in contact with someone with chicken pox, he cannot get shingles.

All this can become a bit confusing. So here is a list for easy understanding…

Has shingles – Meets someone who has not suffered from chicken pox before = Shingles is not contagious here.

Has shingles – Meets someone who has suffered from chicken pox before = Shingles is contagious here.

Has shingles — Meets someone who has not suffered from chicken pox before = Shingles is not contagious but the affected person can still get chicken pox.

Has chicken pox – Meets someone who does not have the virus within himself = Contagious but the person will get chicken pox and not shingles.

Has chicken pox – Meets someone who has chicken pox within himself = no one can get shingles in such a case.

So the shingles disease is not normally contagious through casual contacts, coughing, sneezing or waste materials like most other diseases are transmitted. However it is still advisable to avoid coming into contact with someone who has been affected with the shingles virus. Blame this on the rashes, particularly when the blisters are still there. However once the rashes have dried up, the risk goes down considerably. The chances of a shingles contamination are very less then. There is no reason to worry at a stage when there is just the pain and very few rashes. Shingles is not contagious at such a stage.

Medications are available to strengthen the immune system to lower the risk of a contamination from shingles.

Shingles will occur when the body cannot keep the chickenpox virus (herpes zoster) under control. Most people who have shingles may notice the symptoms also include tingling on one side of the body and a burning sensation. The shingles virus tends to cause a localized pain in a specific area of the body. This pain can make it very hard to move.

Generally the most painful shingles symptom will be the constant body aches and pain going through the body just days before the outbreak of shingles emerges. Shingles symptoms eventually lead to an outbreak of blisters on the skin which is the most apparent sign a person has a shingles infection.

Shingles is a lot like the chickenpox only it occurs in people who are much older. The blisters which are caused by shingles and are the defining symptom of shingles are very painful and occur in groups. With the shingles virus there will be a large area of red inflamed skin and blisters will cover that area. The blisters of shingles tend to be filled with liquid, which is another symptom or sign which is readily obvious it is more serious than having a rash or something like eczema. The one symptom which may help determine that a person has shingles is the fact where the body hurts is always where the shingles outbreak will occur.