
In some cases, shingles may cause some early symptoms that develop a few days before the painful rash first appears. The pain may be a constant, dull or burning sensation and its intensity can vary from mild to severe. You may have sharp stabbing pains from time to time, and the affected area of skin will usually be tender. Scabs then form where the blisters were, which may leave some slight scarring. The main symptom of shingles is pain, followed by a rash that develops into itchy blisters, similar in appearance to chickenpox. New blisters may appear for up to a week, but a few days after appearing they become yellowish in colour, flatten and dry out.

It's estimated that around one in every four people will have at least one episode of shingles during their life. It's caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox.

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is an infection of a nerve and the skin around it.
