Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCauses and Risk FactorsTreatmentBreastfeeding with ShinglesPreventionFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes and Risk Factors
Treatment
Breastfeeding with Shingles
Prevention
Frequently Asked Questions
Shinglescan cause a rash in the breast area. It can lead to health complications and should be examined and treated as soon as possible.
Shingles affects one out of every three people in the United States.The risk of shingles increases as you age, with about half of all cases occurring in men and women 50 years and older. Most people who get shingles will have it only once, but you can get the disease more than once.
What Does Shingles Under the Breast Look Like?
A shinglesrash under the breastappears as a long, broad strip around the torso. In the early stages, the rash may look flat or like raised blotches on the skin that are pink and red. When it is fully developed, the rash will:
Why Does Shingles Appear on Only One Side of the Body?The varicella-zoster virus is active in specific nerves, so shingles often appears where these nerves are located, mainly in a band along one side of the body. This band corresponds to the area where the nerves transmit signals. The shingles rash stays somewhat localized to an area, and it does not spread over your whole body.
Why Does Shingles Appear on Only One Side of the Body?
The varicella-zoster virus is active in specific nerves, so shingles often appears where these nerves are located, mainly in a band along one side of the body. This band corresponds to the area where the nerves transmit signals. The shingles rash stays somewhat localized to an area, and it does not spread over your whole body.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See PhotoReproduced with permission from ©DermNet NZ www.dermnetnz.org 2022
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
Reproduced with permission from ©DermNet NZ www.dermnetnz.org 2022
The varicella-zoster virus causes shingles. If you are exposed to the virus later in life and have never had chicken pox, then you will develop chicken pox.The virus will stay in your body, and you risk getting shingles at another time. However, most people who have had chicken pox never develop shingles. Risk factors associated with shingles include:
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Other Possible Causes
Shingles under the breast can sometimesmimic other types of rashes.However, there are important differences between shingles and skin conditions that cause a similar rash.
There is no cure for the shingles rash, but treatments can help you cope with and manage the symptoms. Treatment depends on your:
Some medications can help relieve the discomfort of your symptoms, including:
You can also use anti-itch creams and lotions to cope with the symptoms. Cool compresses may help relieve the pain and itching. Other natural remedies include taking an oatmeal bath, applying a baking soda paste, or using topicalwitch hazel.
When to See a DoctorIf you think you have shingles under your breast, you should see your doctor. Prompt treatment can reduce the duration of symptoms and prevent infection or further complications.
When to See a Doctor
If you think you have shingles under your breast, you should see your doctor. Prompt treatment can reduce the duration of symptoms and prevent infection or further complications.
If you have an active shingles infection, you can continue to breastfeed if you don’t have skin lesions on your breast. If a lesion develops on or near the areola, where the infant’s mouth would touch the lesion while breastfeeding, you need to express your milk on that side to maintain your milk supply and prevent mastitis, an inflammation of the breast tissue that may be infected.
You can discard that milk until the infant can resume nursing directly at that breast. You may need access to a hospital-grade pump and additional lactation support to maintain your milk supply and reduce the possibility of developing a breast infection.
Before expressing breast milk, you should wash your hands well with soap and water and, if you’re using a pump, follow recommendations for proper cleaning. Breastfeeding can continue on the unaffected breast.
You also can continue to breastfeed while you are taking antiviral medications to treat shingles.
Is Shingles Contagious?
There currently is just one vaccine that you can take to help lower your risk of developing shingles. The vaccine that is available in the United States is Shingrix.
Another shingles vaccine called Zostavax was used in the United States prior to November 2020, but it’s no longer available. The Shingrix vaccine has been shown to be 90% effective at preventing shingles.
The shingles vaccine is recommended for most adults ages 50 and older regardless of whether they have already had shingles in the past or whether they have had a prior dose of Zostavax, unless a contraindication or precaution exists. Shingrix also is available to adults who:
However, Shingrix should not be administered to:
Pregnant people and people who are ill can considerdelaying their vaccination, but they should still get it later.
Rash on Breast: Stress, Hormones, or Something Else?
Summary
Shingles can develop under the breast due to reactivation of the chicken pox virus. When it affects the breast, it causes a blistering rash that looks like a long, broad strip around the torso from under the breast.
The condition can be treated with antivirals and pain medications to alleviate discomfort. The virus is transmitted through contact with the fluid from the blisters, so you can continue breastfeeding if you don’t have lesions on or around your breasts that your child can be exposed to. The best way to prevent shingles is to get the shingles vaccine.
A Word From Verywell
Having shingles under the breast can be painful and uncomfortable. However, there are ways that you can manage your shingles to help ease symptoms while you wait for the rash to run its course.
In terms of dealing with further outbreaks, the good news is that even if you’ve had shingles in the past, you can get vaccinated. Once you do that, you will lower your chances of having flare-ups in the future.
What are the first signs of shingles?
The early signs of shingles are typically pain, itching, and tingling in an area of the body where the rash will develop. It could occur days before the rash appears. When the rash does appear, it will start out as pink or red blotches that could be flat or raised.
Why does shingles develop under the breast?
Shingles can develop under the breast because of reactivation of the chicken pox virus from nerves around this area. Typically, the rash will appear on the torso and wrap around the body in a ribbon-like way. In some cases, the rash can be on the breasts and affect the areola, the area around the nipples.
What makes shingles go away?
The shingles rash usually goes away on its own. Several antiviral medicines, including Zovirax (acyclovir), Valtrex (valacyclovir), and famciclovir, can be used to treat shingles and shorten the length and severity of the illness. In the meantime, people with the rash can treat the symptoms to ease the discomfort. The life cycle of a shingles rash is about a month.
Is shingles contagious?
You cannot give shingles to someone else. However, if you have an active shingles flare-up and skin-to-skin contact with someone who has never had chicken pox or has never been vaccinated for chicken pox, they can catch the varicella-zoster virus. The virus will develop into chicken pox, not shingles.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Shingles.Cohen KR, Salbu RL, Frank J, Israel I.Presentation and management of herpes zoster (shingles) in the geriatric population.P T; 38(4):217-27.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles symptoms and complications.Cleveland Clinic.No, you can’t get shingles if you’ve never had chickenpox.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Shingles.Tabassum N, Hamdani M.Plants used to treat skin diseases.Pharmacogn Rev.2014 Jan;8(15):52-60. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.125531Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Breastfeeding and special circumstances: shingles.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles vaccination.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Shingles.Cohen KR, Salbu RL, Frank J, Israel I.Presentation and management of herpes zoster (shingles) in the geriatric population.P T; 38(4):217-27.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles symptoms and complications.Cleveland Clinic.No, you can’t get shingles if you’ve never had chickenpox.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Shingles.Tabassum N, Hamdani M.Plants used to treat skin diseases.Pharmacogn Rev.2014 Jan;8(15):52-60. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.125531Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Breastfeeding and special circumstances: shingles.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles vaccination.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cleveland Clinic.Shingles.Cohen KR, Salbu RL, Frank J, Israel I.Presentation and management of herpes zoster (shingles) in the geriatric population.P T; 38(4):217-27.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles symptoms and complications.Cleveland Clinic.No, you can’t get shingles if you’ve never had chickenpox.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Shingles.Tabassum N, Hamdani M.Plants used to treat skin diseases.Pharmacogn Rev.2014 Jan;8(15):52-60. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.125531Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Breastfeeding and special circumstances: shingles.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles vaccination.
Cleveland Clinic.Shingles.
Cohen KR, Salbu RL, Frank J, Israel I.Presentation and management of herpes zoster (shingles) in the geriatric population.P T; 38(4):217-27.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles symptoms and complications.
Cleveland Clinic.No, you can’t get shingles if you’ve never had chickenpox.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Shingles.
Tabassum N, Hamdani M.Plants used to treat skin diseases.Pharmacogn Rev.2014 Jan;8(15):52-60. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.125531
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Breastfeeding and special circumstances: shingles.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles vaccination.
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