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Symptoms and Effective Treatment Options for Shingles

Several people are looking for the most effective types of shingles pain treatments available. Shingles can be described as a viral infection that causes a painful skin rash. The virus known as Varicella Zoster is one that causes this skin condition. Chickenpox is caused by the same Varicella Zoster virus. If you ever had chickenpox, this virus remains dormant in the nerve tissues located near your brain or spinal cord, and after many years, it reactivates to cause shingles.

Symptoms and Effective Treatment Options for Shingles
They are usually found in a strip, band, or a small area on the face or other body parts. Older adults are more vulnerable to shingles; moreover, if you have a weak immune system due to injury, medicines, or stress, you have higher chances of getting affected by this skin disease.

Shingles are not basically infectious
Shingles are not a serious problem but the pain can be really severe. You do not need to worry getting this disease from someone else because it is not an infectious disease. Still, there is a small possibility of a virus getting spread from a person suffering from shingles rash to another person who has never got affected with chickenpox or who has not taken the chickenpox vaccine.

The symptoms of shingles
Only a smart part or one side of your body becomes vulnerable to shingles. You experience pain and burning sensation and a tingling sensation or numbness can also be felt. Another common symptom is the sensitivity to touch and after having started the pain, a red rash starts to appear after some days. Sometimes, fluid-filled blisters are formed and they often break and crust over. Itching is another tendency that many people feel. It has been reported that some other people experience fatigue, light sensitivity, headache, and fever. Of course, pain the first sign and it can become really intense. People often mistake it as a kidney, lung, or heart problem. The pain alone can be found in some people without any signs of rashes.

Different types of shingles pain treatments

Don’t touch or scratch on the blisters
You must take good care of skin sores to relieve the pain and manage the healing process. Some people often touch on the blisters and even scratch on them. This is not a good practice and you must leave the blisters alone. If you do so, they will crust over and heal naturally. Taking good care of the skin is one of the best shingles pain treatments you can try.

Wet compresses and calamine
If you are finding the pain to be severe, you can use cool and moist compresses to find some relief. After wet compresses, you can apply lotions like calamine to reduce discomfort. This is also one of the best shingles pain treatments you can give a try.

Apply cornstarch or baking soda
If you want to speed up the drying process of the sores, you can apply baking soda or cornstarch on the affected area. By doing so, you can make the healing process faster.

Soak in water or Burow’s solution
The crusted sores must be soaked using tap water or you can use Burow’s solution for cleaning the crusts. It also helps to reduce oozing, and you can experience a smoothening effect on the skin. It is also one of best options for shingles pain treatments you can try at home.

Some effective home remedies for managing the pain
The rash should be covered using a thin layer of Vaseline is a good option. A large cotton bandage can be placed over this covering to prevent skin irritations. When you do so, you are preventing yourself from touching the affected area. If you do not have Vaseline, you can use dimethicone or petroleum or products. The use of lotions containing fragrance can irritate skin. Other effective home remedies for shingles pain treatments include apple cider vinegar, organic honey, and virgin coconut oil. You must also consume vitamin C rich diet and other options like aloe vera, cayenne pepper, green tea, essential oils, myrrh, lemon balm compress, and acetone can also offer excellent results and reduce pain in the best manner.

Seek medical advice
You can consult your doctor to suggest some topical creams, and they will recommend the best creams available in the market to get relief from inflammation due to shingles. If the infection is severe, the doctor prescribes antibiotic ointments and creams as effective shingles pain treatments. Sometimes, conditions like postherpetic neuralgia may need 30 days for the pain to subside after the rash heals. That is when the doctor recommends using strong pain relievers. You can also take nonprescription pain medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen for lowering the pain caused by postherpetic neuralgia. When you visit your doctor, you must tell him/her about the medications that you are already using. Some prescription medications contain a lot of acetaminophen or Tylenol, and an increased intake of this substance can invite dangerous side effects. You must consider this aspect and disclose everything to doctor before allowing him/her to prescribe medicines. Based on what you are already taking, the doctor will recommend the right medicines to reduce the pain and make the healing process faster.

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