Hello, I am Dr. Sang-ju Lee, a dermatologist. According to statistics from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, over 700,000 people annually have suffered from shingles, which involves severe pain and red blistering rashes, over the past five years. In severe cases, shingles can leave scars on the body or cause severe neuralgia, so caution is needed. Today, I will thoroughly address common questions about shingles.
Why do shingles occur?
Shingles is a disease caused by a virus. If you had chickenpox as a child, that virus can lie dormant in your body and reactivate as shingles when you are tired or your immunity is weakened.
What are the main symptoms of shingles?
The most significant characteristic of shingles is that skin rashes appear with pain. As the pain begins, red rashes develop on the skin, which then progress into blisters. Also, it typically appears only on one side of the body. This is because the shingles virus hides in the nerve ganglia and travels along the nerves, which emerge from the back in two strands but only travel down one side. Therefore, if you have a rash on one side of your body accompanied by blisters and pain, you should suspect shingles.
Can anyone get shingles?
Shingles usually occurs more frequently in people aged 50, 60, or older, as immunity tends to decrease with age. However, shingles can also occur in younger individuals in their 20s and 30s. This is because anyone who had chickenpox as a child or received the chickenpox vaccine carries the virus in their body. If young people in their 20s or 30s are overly fatigued, such as from traveling or lack of sleep, their immunity can be compromised, leading to shingles.
In fact, I personally experienced shingles when I was an intern at a university hospital and didn't get enough sleep. Young people can also get shingles, so it's important to take care of your body.
Which department should I visit for shingles?
Shingles is a dermatological disease. Therefore, dermatologists most frequently diagnose and treat it. However, if neuralgia remains after shingles has passed, treatment may sometimes involve collaboration with a pain management specialist.
How should shingles be treated?
Since shingles is caused by a virus, the most important first treatment is to use antiviral medication as quickly as possible. Viruses have a specific period of proliferation, and medication must be used within this period to be effective. That is, antiviral medication should be taken orally or by injection within 48 hours of the rash appearing on the skin.
The second is pain relief. Shingles often involves severe pain, so using painkillers to reduce pain helps lower body fatigue and speeds up recovery. Additionally, applying a slightly warm compress can help reduce pain. It's good to warm the affected area without making it too hot.
One thing more important than all these treatments is sufficient rest. Shingles occurs when the body is tired, lacks sleep, or has weakened immunity, so sufficient rest and sleep are essential to boost our body's immunity.
Can scars remaining after shingles be improved?
If too many or deep blisters form on the skin due to shingles, they can lead to scabs, and when these scabs fall off, scars may remain. While these scars cannot be made perfectly identical to before, they can be improved to a degree that is not a significant cosmetic concern.
For scar improvement, the following treatments are generally used:
- Laser Treatment: Various laser treatments, such as Ultrapulse Alpha, are used to refine the skin in the scar area.
- Subcision: For depressed scars, Subcision, which involves using a fine needle to sever the tissue beneath the scar, can be combined to lift the depressed scar.
Through these treatments, depressed scars can be lifted and skin texture improved, yielding good results.