Shingles is a skin disorder caused by the herpes zoster virus -- the same virus responsible for chickenpox. Once you have chickenpox, the virus lays dormant in your nervous system, but may become active when you reach adulthood. Shingles is...
The varicella-zoster virus is responsible for chicken pox and shingles outbreaks. Shingles, or herpes zoster, is an after-effect of chicken pox. The herpes zoster virus enters your body, usually when you are a child, causing you to experience the...
Shingles, formally known as herpes zoster, is a reactivation of the dormant chickenpox virus. In individuals who have contracted chickenpox, the zoster virus lies dormant in the nerves for decades before being reactivated and erupting into...
If you had chicken pox as a child, you can get shingles, a painful, blister-like rash that tends to affect people as they get older. The condition is caused by the varicella-zoster virus that is dormant in your body after chicken pox resolves....
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, represents the reawakening of the virus that causes chicken pox within the roots of spinal or cranial nerves. The word "shingles" derives from the Latin word "cingulum," which means belt or girdle, while...
A rash following exposure to a virus is a normal reaction by the body as it tries to fight the invading illness. Rashes may appear in any age group and frequently develop in children exposed to common childhood viruses such as fifth disease, or...
Your chickenpox experience may be more than a childhood memory. Bumps on the skin of the spine, if accompanied by other specific symptoms, could indicate that you have shingles. Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a condition caused by the...
After contracting the virus that causes chicken pox, an individual can later develop herpes zoster, also known as shingles. The American Academy of Dermatology explains that after chicken pox, the virus remains inactive in the body. Later, it can...
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, results when the virus that causes chicken pox reawakens within the roots of sensory or cranial nerves. The primary symptoms of shingles, according to the 2008 edition of "Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General...
A blister is a fluid-filled sac that develops on the surface layer of the skin due to an infection in the body or direct contact with an irritating substance. According to MedlinePlus, blisters can range in size from extremely small to up to 10-mm...
The appearance of red, blotchy skin can be caused by a variety of factors. Some of these skin conditions are genetic while others are allergic skin reactions. It is important that you properly identify the type of condition before beginning any...
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), shingles, or herpes zoster, is a virus that anyone who has had chicken pox can develop. When the chicken pox virus clears, it remains dormant (inactive) within some nerve cells in the body....
A variety of conditions, from viral illnesses to allergic reactions, can cause red bumps to appear on the trunk of your body. Although in most cases red bumps on your trunk are mild and treatable, you shouldn't use any medications on the bumps...
As people grow older, their skin becomes dryer, thinner, less elastic and less able to heal from injury. The damaging effects of sun exposure are more apparent, and various diseases and disorders of the skin become increasingly common. Some common...
A blister is small, fluid-filled vesicle that forms between the upper layers of the skin due to a variety of factors. According to Lifespan, a blister that forms as part of a skin rash may be tiny, as small as the head of a pin, or much larger, up...
There are a number of skin disorders that can cause round, red blotches on the skin, such as rosacea, erythema multiforme, shingles, chickenpox or hives. Most rashes are not dangerous, but if you are suffering from a skin rash, you should have it...
The herpes zoster virus is responsible for the shingles rash, which is accompanied by other bothersome signs and symptoms. While the blisters and rash are short-lived, the pain caused by shingles may linger for years. Early identification and...
Shingles, the disease produced by reactivation of the virus that causes chicken pox within the roots of sensory or cranial nerves, affects 1 million Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although...
Herpes zoster--commonly referred to as shingles--is a viral infection derivative from chicken pox. There is no known cure for shingles and the underlying cause of the virus can lie dormant for years before an actual outbreak. The American Academy...
Waking up to discover big red bumps on your face can be distressing. What are these bumps? Will they go away on their own? Do they mean I have a medical problem? Knowing what's causing the bumps will help you treat them appropriately.
A shingles rash is a painful, blistery rash that can appear any place on the body, though it most often appears on the trunk of the body. The rash is caused by a viral infection known as varicella zoster, which is the same virus that causes...
In the 2009 issue in "Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine," Stanford obstetricians Candace K. Smith and Ann M. Arvin explain that babies who acquire chicken pox perinatally sometimes develop shingles, the infection that results from...
A pimple-like rash on the face can arise with a variety of infectious and noninfectious skin conditions that affect people of all ages. In many cases, the condition resolves without treatment. For chronic conditions, doctors often recommend...
Shingles is the common name for the disease that results from reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus--the same virus that causes chicken pox upon initial exposure--within the roots of spinal or cranial nerves. According to National Institutes...
It's easy to see why communicable skin diseases often prove hard to contain. Skin is humankind's most exposed organ. The entire body is wrapped in it. When contagious diseases occur, any object the skin touches can become contaminated by the...
Lysine, an essential amino acid that the body needs but cannot produce on its own, may help prevent viral outbreaks, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Amino acids are responsible for producing proteins and help convert fatty...
