What are the long term after effects of shingles?

The most common complication of shingles is long-term nerve pain called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). “Five years later, I still take prescription medication for pain. My shingles rash quickly developed into open, oozing sores that in only a few days required me to be hospitalized.

Can shingles affect you years later?

Postherpetic neuralgia occurs if your nerve fibers are damaged during an outbreak of shingles. Damaged fibers can’t send messages from your skin to your brain as they normally do. Instead, the messages become confused and exaggerated, causing chronic, often excruciating pain that can last months — or even years.

How can I fix my skin after shingles?

Skin Care and Itch Relief for Shingles

1. A cool, wet compresses on the affected skin.
2. Soothing baths and lotions, such as colloidal oatmeal bath, starch baths, or calamine lotion.
3. Zostrix, a cream that contains capsaicin (an extract of pepper)
4. Antihistamines to reduce itching (taken by mouth or applied to the skin)

Does shingles affect skin?

Shingles, also called herpes zoster, is a disease that triggers a painful skin rash. It is caused by the same virus as chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus.

What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome?

Ramsay Hunt syndrome (herpes zoster oticus) occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears. In addition to the painful shingles rash, Ramsay Hunt syndrome can cause facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear.

Can shingles affect the groin area?

Shingles forms a rash or a collection of blisters on your skin due to a viral infection. While a shingles outbreak usually appears as a band across one side of your torso, it can appear anywhere on your body, including your leg and groin.

What is herpetic neuralgia?

Post-herpetic neuralgia is a lasting pain in the areas of your skin where you had shingles. Around one in five people with shingles will get post-herpetic neuralgia. People age 50 and over are particularly at risk. Many people with post-herpetic neuralgia make a full recovery within a year.

How long does neuropathy last after shingles?

It’s called postherpetic neuralgia, and it’s a complication of shingles. You might feel intense sensations of tingling, burning, and shooting that don’t let up. This could last for 3 months or longer, and you could be sensitive to touch and have trouble wearing clothes.

What is trigonal neuralgia?

Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from your face to your brain. If you have trigeminal neuralgia, even mild stimulation of your face — such as from brushing your teeth or putting on makeup — may trigger a jolt of excruciating pain.