Key takeaways:
Shingles is a common rash that causes painful blisters on any part of the body. The shingles rash is most common on the chest, back, and abdomen.
Before the shingles rash develops, people may experience pain, tingling, chills, tiredness, or a headache.
Treating the shingles rash early — ideally, within 3 days after it appears — can help prevent some long-term complications, like persistent pain.
Shingles is a painful rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Once you’ve recovered from chickenpox, the virus stays in your nerves in an inactive form for the rest of your life. It can reactivate years or decades later and cause shingles (also called herpes zoster).
Shingles is pretty common — about 1 in 3 people in the U.S. will develop it at some point in their life. It can happen at any age, but it’s more common as you get older.
Treating shingles early helps clear the rash and can prevent some long-term complications, like scarring and lasting pain. Let’s take a closer look at signs of shingles and what the shingles rash looks like on different body parts.
What does a shingles rash look and feel like?
Shingles usually affects a small section of skin on one side of your body. And, like with other viruses, it goes through predictable stages.
Early signs and symptoms of shingles
The first stage of shingles (prodromal) typically starts out with pain, which can be pretty intense. You might experience the following on one side of your body or face:
Tingling
Burning
Stabbing
Shooting pain
But you won’t see any changes to your skin in these first days.
Later symptoms of shingles
The second stage starts after about 2 days. A rash appears in the area where you have skin symptoms. The rash starts as red, brown, or violet patches that quickly turn into small blisters filled with clear fluid. The blisters then break open, turn crusty, and eventually dry out.
This process can take 2 to 4 weeks. In people with darker skin tones, dark patches of hyperpigmentation may form — taking months to clear.
Stages of shingles: From the beginning to the chronic stages, here's what the different stages of shingles look like.
What does shingles feel like? Here’s what shingles feels like from people who’ve experienced it.
Preventing shingles: Learn how the vaccine against shingles can protect you from the herpes zoster virus and related complications.
In addition to the pain and rash, some people experience other symptoms when they have shingles. These include things like:
Chills
Fever
Tiredness
Headache
Light sensitivity
If shingles isn’t treated, it can lead to pain, scarring, or other complications that can last months or more. When shingles affects the eye, it can lead to long-term vision problems if not treated properly with antiviral medications.
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Pictures of shingles on different body parts
Shingles can affect any part of the body. But it’s most common on the chest, back, and abdomen.
Here are some pictures of the shingles rash on different parts of the body.
Shingles on the face and head
Shingles on the arm
Shingles on the torso
Shingles on the leg and feet
How do you confirm that you have shingles?
Most healthcare professionals can diagnose shingles based on your symptoms and the typical rash. If there’s any question, they may also take a small skin biopsy or scraping of the fluid to send to a lab to confirm the diagnosis.
What can be mistaken for shingles?
Shingles isn’t the only rash that can develop blisters. Here are some rashes that can be mistaken for shingles, plus signs to help you tell the difference.
Cold sores
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus, and they usually occur on or around the mouth. They also form painful blisters that can break open and crust over. Unlike shingles, the rash from a cold sore tends to be smaller and isn’t limited to just one side of the body. After they’ve healed, cold sores can also come back in the same spot.
Eczema
Eczema is a common chronic skin condition that causes a dry, itchy rash. Some people will also develop small, fluid-filled blisters. Unlike shingles, eczema is usually more itchy than painful, and it tends to be symmetric (happens on both sides of the body).
Allergic contact dermatitis
This type of rash happens when your skin touches something it’s allergic to. Common examples include the rash caused by poison ivy and nickel. This type of rash also forms itchy blisters. But the shape they form is based on the exposure (like lines from branches of the poison ivy plant).
When to go to the doctor’s office
If you think you may have shingles, it’s best to see a healthcare professional as soon as possible. Treatment started within 3 days of getting the rash is more likely to prevent long-term complications, like lingering nerve pain (postherpetic neuralgia). However, treatment after 3 days is still beneficial, so it’s important to get checked out as soon as possible.
If you're age 50 or older, talk to your primary care provider about getting the shingles vaccine. This is the best way to prevent getting shingles in the first place. Vaccination also helps prevent shingles-related complications.
Get immediate care if you’re at higher risk for complications from shingles. Beyond being age 50 or older, you’re at higher risk if you have:
A weakened immune system
A rash over a large part of your body
A rash on your face or near your eye
Facial paralysis, vertigo, or hearing changes
A fever
Frequently asked questions
A shingles rash can last about 2 to 4 weeks. You’ll first notice patches on your skin that look red, brown, or violet. These patches then turn into blisters, which break open and crust over in 7 to 10 days. Keep in mind that people with darker skin tones may notice hyperpigmentation, which can last for months before clearing up.
Yes, the shingles rash itches for some people. Exactly what shingles feels like varies from person to person. Some describe the rash as a “weird itch” while others describe intense burning and shooting pain.
Yes, it’s possible to have mild symptoms with shingles. This is more likely if you’re age 50 or older. You’re also more likely to have mild shingles symptoms (that don’t last as long) if you’ve had the shingles vaccine.
A shingles rash can last about 2 to 4 weeks. You’ll first notice patches on your skin that look red, brown, or violet. These patches then turn into blisters, which break open and crust over in 7 to 10 days. Keep in mind that people with darker skin tones may notice hyperpigmentation, which can last for months before clearing up.
Yes, the shingles rash itches for some people. Exactly what shingles feels like varies from person to person. Some describe the rash as a “weird itch” while others describe intense burning and shooting pain.
Yes, it’s possible to have mild symptoms with shingles. This is more likely if you’re age 50 or older. You’re also more likely to have mild shingles symptoms (that don’t last as long) if you’ve had the shingles vaccine.
The bottom line
Shingles is a common rash that causes painful blisters on one side of the body. Shingles forms a painful rash with blisters that affects one side of the body. It’s most common on the chest, back, and abdomen, but it can happen anywhere. If you think you may have shingles, see a healthcare professional right away. Knowing how to spot shingles is important because early treatment helps prevent long-term complications. And if you’re age 50 or older, talk to your healthcare team about preventing shingles with the shingles vaccine.
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Images used with permission from VisualDx (www.visualdx.com)
References
American Academy of Dermatology Association. (n.d.). Shingles: Diagnosis and treatment.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Laboratory testing for varicella-zoster virus (VZV).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). About shingles (herpes zoster).
Nair, P. A., et al. (2023) Herpes zoster. StatPearls.
National Health Service. (2025). Post-herpetic neuralgia.
