If you had chickenpox during childhood, you might assume you’re protected for life. However, there’s a hidden risk — the virus responsible for chickenpox can remain dormant in your body for years and later reactivate as shingles.
Unlike the mild rash from your youth, shingles often comes with severe pain and can lead to complications, especially when it affects the face or eyes.
1. What Is Shingles?
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a viral infection triggered by the reawakening of the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox.
Even after recovery from chickenpox, the virus doesn’t leave your body. Instead, it stays inactive in your nerve cells and may reactivate years later as shingles.
Shingles typically affects just one side of the body. It often manifests as a painful band of fluid-filled blisters across the torso, neck, or face.
Most people recover in two to three weeks, but for many, especially older adults, the pain can be intense and long-lasting.
2. Recognizing the Symptoms
Though the telltale sign of shingles is a blistering rash, symptoms usually begin earlier. These can include:
A red, blistered rash (usually one-sided)
Burning, tingling, or shooting pain
Itching
Fever and chills
Headaches
Fatigue or general unease
Muscle weakness
Some individuals experience nerve pain even before the rash appears. In certain cases, pain persists long after the rash fades — a condition known as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which can last for weeks or even months.
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