Shingles is an infection that causes a painful rash
Get advice from a pharmacist or 111 as soon as possible if you think you have it
It usually starts with tingling or painful skin, followed by a rash a few days later
The rash appears on only one side of the body
Treatment works best if started within 3 days of the rash appearing
About Shingles
Shingles is an infection that causes a painful rash. Get advice from a pharmacist or NHS 111 as soon as possible if you think you have it.
Symptoms
The first signs of shingles can be a tingling or painful feeling in an area of skin, along with a headache or feeling generally unwell. A rash usually appears a few days later, though rarely, shingles can cause pain without any rash. The rash usually appears on the chest and tummy, but can develop anywhere on the body, including the face, eyes and genitals — it appears as blotches on one side of the body only, since a rash affecting both sides is unlikely to be shingles.
The blotches become itchy blisters that ooze fluid, before drying out and scabbing over a few days later. The rash can be red, though this can be harder to see on brown or black skin. If it develops in or around the eye, it can make the eye sore and red, and may affect sight, hearing, or the ability to move one side of the face.
Getting Advice
See a pharmacist if you have symptoms of shingles and are 18 or over — try to see them within 3 days of the rash appearing, since medicine can help speed up recovery and avoid longer-lasting problems if started promptly. A pharmacist can give the same antiviral medicines as a GP, and can also advise or direct you to other medical help if needed.
?? Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you have symptoms of shingles and:
You're pregnant; you're breastfeeding and the rash is on your breasts; the rash is on your eye or nose; you have changes to your vision; you have a severely weakened immune system, for example from chemotherapy; or you're 17 or younger. You might need medicine to speed up recovery and avoid longer-lasting problems, which works best if started within 3 days of the rash appearing.
Page last reviewed: 6 March 2024 · Next review due: 6 March 2027
Shingles · Self-Care & Spread
Treating Symptoms Yourself, and Avoiding Spread
? 5 min readReviewed: March 2024
Easing Symptoms Yourself
Do
Take paracetamol to ease pain
Keep the rash clean and dry to reduce infection risk
Wear loose-fitting clothing
Use a cool compress (ice cubes or frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel, or a wet cloth) a few times a day
Don't
Don't let dressings or plasters stick to the rash
Don't wear rough-fibred clothes that can irritate the skin
It can take up to 4 weeks for the shingles rash to heal, and the skin can remain painful for weeks after the rash has gone, though this usually improves over time.
Staying Away from Certain People
You can't spread shingles to others, but since it's caused by the chickenpox virus, people who haven't had chickenpox before or the chickenpox vaccine could catch chickenpox from you. Try to avoid anyone who's pregnant and hasn't had chickenpox before, people with a weakened immune system (such as someone having chemotherapy), and babies under 1 month old.
Work and School
Stay off work or school if the rash is still oozing fluid and can't be covered, or until it's dried out, since this is the only time the infection can spread to others. You can cover the rash with loose clothing or a non-sticky dressing.
Page last reviewed: 6 March 2024 · Next review due: 6 March 2027
Shingles · Treatment & Complications
Treatment and Possible Complications
? 5 min readReviewed: March 2024
Treatment
Treatment depends on how severe your symptoms are and your risk of complications. A mild rash may not need any treatment. Antiviral tablets to help speed up recovery may be offered if you have a weakened immune system, moderate or severe pain or rash, or a rash affecting areas beyond the chest, tummy and back — you'll usually need to start this medicine within 3 days of the rash first appearing. Treatment can also include painkillers, steroid tablets, or medicine specifically for nerve pain.
Possible Complications
Most people recover from shingles without problems, but complications can sometimes occur, including post-herpetic neuralgia (where pain continues for several months after the rash has gone), an infected rash needing antibiotics, scarring or changes in skin colour after healing, muscle weakness, eye problems that can lead to sight loss, and rarely, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, where shingles affects the facial nerve, causing weakness on one side of the face and sometimes hearing problems. Getting treatment as soon as possible after symptoms start helps reduce the risk of these complications.
Shingles and Pregnancy
If you're pregnant and get shingles, it's usually mild with no significant risk to you or your baby, but a GP should arrange for a specialist to advise on whether treatment is needed.
Page last reviewed: 6 March 2024 · Next review due: 6 March 2027
Shingles · Causes & Vaccine
Causes and the Shingles Vaccine
? 4 min readReviewed: March 2024
What Causes Shingles
You can't catch shingles from someone with shingles or chickenpox, but you can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles if you haven't had it before. When someone has had chickenpox, the virus remains in the body afterwards, and can reactivate later to cause shingles if the immune system becomes weakened — this can happen due to stress, certain conditions, or treatments such as chemotherapy.
The Shingles Vaccine
A shingles vaccine is available on the NHS for people who turned 65 on or after 1 September 2023, people aged 70 to 79 who haven't yet been vaccinated, and people aged 18 and over with a severely weakened immune system. The vaccine helps reduce your risk of getting shingles, and if you do get it after vaccination, symptoms tend to be much milder. Since it's possible to get shingles more than once, it's worth getting vaccinated even if you've had it before — ask your GP surgery whether you're eligible for the vaccine on the NHS.
Page last reviewed: 6 March 2024 · Next review due: 6 March 2027
