What Does Shingles Look Like on the Body? (With Pictures)

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. 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. 

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What does a shingles rash look and feel like?

Shingles usually affects a small section of skin on one side of your body. It typically starts out with pain, which can be pretty intense. Some people may experience a burning or tingling sensation in the area without any visible skin changes. 

After about 2 days, a rash appears in the area of 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. 

If shingles isn’t treated, it can lead to pain, scarring, or other complications that can last months or more. When it affects the eye, it can lead to long-term vision problems if not treated properly. 

Other symptoms of shingles 

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 

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

A shingles rash on the forehead and around the eye.

Shingles rash on the side of the head with open sores and crusting.

Shingles on the arm

Shingles on the arm.

Shingles on the arm in Black skin with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Shingles on the torso

A shingles outbreak on the lower back.

A smaller shingles outbreak on the chest.

Shingles on the leg and feet

A shingles rash on the thigh.

Close-up of shingles blisters on the top of the foot.

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 the 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 recur in the same spot. 

A cold sore often forms a cluster of small blisters on the mouth.

A cluster of blisters and crusts on the lower lip from a cold sore.

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). 

Eczema (atopic dermatitis) on the back of the knee.

Many tiny bumps caused by eczema (atopic dermatitis) on the leg.

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). 

Blisters and scaly patches caused by allergic contact dermatitis.

Blisters in a line pattern caused by an allergic reaction to poison ivy, oak, and sumac.

When to see a doctor

If you think you may have shingles, it’s best to see your 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. However, treatment after 3 days is still beneficial, so it’s important to get checked out as soon as possible. 

If you’re aged 50 years and 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. 

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Written by:

Maria Robinson, MD, MBA

Maria Robinson, MD, MBA, is a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist who has practiced dermatology and dermatopathology for over 10 years across private practice, academic, and telehealth settings. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Society of Dermatopathology.

Edited by:

Karla Robinson, MD

Karla Robinson, MD, is a medical editor for GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified family physician with almost 20 years of experience in health through varied clinical, administrative, and educational roles.

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