Home remedy for facial shingles

Several antiviral medicines—acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir—are available to treat shingles and shorten the length and severity of the illness. These medicines are most effective if you start taking them as soon as possible after the rash appears. If you think you have shingles, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible to discuss treatment. Pain medicine, either over-the-counter or a prescription from your doctor, may help relieve the pain caused by shingles. Wet compresses, calamine lotion, and colloidal oatmeal baths a lukewarm bath mixed with ground up oatmeal may help relieve itching. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

Shingles is a disease that affects your nerves. You may recall having chickenpox as a child. Shingles is caused by the same virus, the varicella-zoster virus VZV. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus continues to live in some of your nerve cells. In fact, most adults live with VZV in their bodies and never get shingles.

Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a common infection of the nerves. It is caused by a virus. Shingles triggers a painful rash or small blisters on an area of skin.

Back to Health A to Z. Shingles is an infection that causes a painful rash. Get advice from as soon as possible if you think you have it.