South Charlotte Dermatology

The dreaded pain and blistering of shingles is a something that few can forget. Shingles and zoster are the same condition. The rash is a reawakening of a dormant chicken pox infection. The case of chicken pox may be decades old or very recent. Most cases of shingles occur in older people, and the odds roughly double every decade you live that you will have theis eruption. As a Charlotte dermatologist I have seen many patients who are just trying to get seen immediately and have been frustrated because they can't be seen, sometimes even at an office they've been to for years. This is an emergency, especially if it is on the face. David Letterman missed three weeks of hosting his show due to a case of shingles on the upper face. The eye can be involved and this can lead to permanent vision impairment.

   I had helped do the studies to get Valtrex approved for the treatment of shingles. It is a remarkable medicine and can help with the short term and long term pain associated with shingles. The pain is often described as a stabbing pain and those who have had it would compare it to any dental, kidney stone, or labor pain. Their is a long term pain called post-herpetic neuralgia that can last for years.