Tinea, by its nature, has much in common with chickenpox. Their causative agent is the same Varicella zoster virus . It causes a painful rash on the face and upper body, itching, pain, purulent blisters - in general, the whole picture of the disease, which is called shingles. Symptoms of this disease have been described in ancient times. And its second name - herpes - this ailment took from the ancient Greek language. In a literal translation, the word "herpete" means "crawl". This is due to the spread of the rash: starting in one place, the pustules seem to creep along the nerve endings. That is, the disease spreads in strips.
What causes shingles? The causes of this disease can be different. Most often, it is hypothermia, a cold. But the constant stressful situation may also become the cause; lichen can occur against the background of a severe chronic disease, due to a drop in immunity, like chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The cause may also be the banal aging of the body: most commonly, shingles is observed in people over 60 years of age. It is also noted that the disease is more common in those people who have had chickenpox in childhood. The chickenpox virus persists in the body, but becomes inactive, as if "sleeping." But once immunity is weakened, the virus wakes up and "enters the warpath."
In the first week, the disease proceeds latently. That is, the whole week a person feels healthy and does not know that he has shingles. Symptoms are first manifested by mild itching at the site of the first localization of the disease. Ordinary herpes affects the corners of the mouth, lips, but shingles can occur on the back, and on the chest, on any part of the face, neck. Later, mild itching is replaced by an unpleasant burning sensation, small pimples appear on the site of the first localization. You should not sound the alarm when one pimple appears on the face: the symptoms of shingles are quite characteristic, and they are easy to distinguish from other cosmetic troubles.
But if there are several pimples, they are grouped in one place, the skin near the pimples turned red - you should think about it, and even better - consult a doctor. Herpes on the lips is the mildest and most gentle form of this disease. It can be cured on its own: for this you need to resort to ointments such as Herpevir. But if the rash appears in other areas of the face, and after 2-3 days the pimples are filled with a cloudy liquid, most likely it is shingles. Symptoms of the further course of the disease are disappointing: after 5-6 days, the bubbles burst, the liquid flows out, a pale brown crust forms on the spot of the pimples, which lasts 2-3 weeks. In a light form, a new, healthy skin forms under this crust. But there are cases when the disease affects too large areas or goes deep, that is, it affects not the epidermis, but the deep layers of the skin. Then after recovery, an ugly scar may remain on it. The disease is especially dangerous when it affects the eye area. Neglecting treatment can damage your eyesight. Shingles on the ear are also dangerous: in severe cases, it can lead to damage to the auditory organ, unilateral paralysis of the face, encephalitis and meningitis.
It should be said that shingles is an infectious, and therefore contagious disease. The virus causes chickenpox in people who have never had it (which is dangerous in adulthood), and in cases of sickness it is shingles. Symptoms of chickenpox are manifested by temperature and weakness. Especially high risk of infection in newborns, pregnant women, weakened people, HIV-infected.
The sooner you start treating shingles, the easier it will be for the disease to progress, and the sooner recovery will come. It is important to remember that tinea itself is a non-fatal disease, but the complications provoked by it can be fatal.