Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesWhat It Looks LikeTreatmentPreventionWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
What It Looks Like
Treatment
Prevention
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Frequently Asked Questions
Shinglesusually occurs on the torso and face, but it may also occur on other parts of the body like the groin, leg, and penis. Shingles affects the nerves and skin, causing itchy, scaly rashes that can form into clusters of fluid filled vesicles that may resolve over the course of one to two weeks.
This article discusses shingles on the leg and groin, along with the symptoms, causes, and treatment for this illness.
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Shingles on your legs presents similarly to shingles anywhere else on your body
It usually starts as pain, itching, or tingling for a couple of days in the area where the rash will eventually develop. Then a localized rash appears in a distinct band-like pattern on the leg. The rash may be flat first before forming clusters of fluid-filled blisters that progressively dry out and peel off over the course of three to five days.
Additional associated symptoms may include:
Causes of Shingles on the Legs and Groin
People develop shingles after having had chicken pox in their childhood.
The main cause, the varicella-zoster virus, remains dormant (inactive) in the nervous system and reactivates when triggered. The exact trigger of dormant VZV reactivation is unknown but the following risk factors have been shown to put you at higher risk of developing a shingles outbreak:
It is unclear why shingles will develop on the leg and groin as opposed to the face or torso, the more common areas of VZV reactivation.
What Does Shingles Look Like?
The appearance of shingles can depend on:
Shingles may be reddish in appearance on fair skin, but may look brown or simply like darker colored pigmentation on more melanated (darker) skin tones. Shingles most commonly appears in these two stages:
Early shingles on your leg may be treated with creams and lotions to relieve pain and itching. Using a cool compress may also provide symptomatic relief. Several medications have been shown to be helpful, but their effectiveness is based on the time you start using them, the extent of disease, and your overall health.
Generally, the earlier you start taking antiretroviral medication, the better. These medications include Sitavig or Zovirax (acyclovir), Valtrex (valacyclovir), and famciclovir. Early antiretroviral use—that is, taking these medications as soon as you experience pain or see the appearance of a rash—has been shown to shorten the length and severity of the illness.
If these medications do not work, your healthcare provider may prescribe the following drugs to help provide relief:
How to Prevent It
Vaccination with the recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV), also known asShingrix, is the single most effective way to prevent shingles and its complications.
Getting vaccinated is particularly important for those who are immunocompromised or more than 50 years old. In fact, two doses of the Shingrix vaccine have been shown to be 90% effective.
If you have had chicken pox in the past and are experiencing pain, itchiness, or tingling in a band-like pattern on the body, you should reach out to a healthcare provider. The sooner you get treated with antiviral medication, the more likely it is that you will avoid serious medical complications.
Summary
A Word From Verywell
Unexplained pain and blisters on your legs may be a sign of shingles. Knowing the symptoms to watch out for can make it easier for you to spot the early signs of shingles. Untreated shingles can lead to rare life-threatening medical conditions likeencephalitis. It’s important to be vaccinated against shingles and to see a healthcare provider for treatment if it does develop.
Frequently Asked QuestionsYour shingles rash will usually clear up between two and four weeks, although the duration of your symptoms is likely to be shorter with treatment.Shingles usually has a distinct look that differentiates it from pimples or allergic reactions. Shingles may also change appearance during its disease course: It starts out as a collection of flat and scaly blisters and quickly progresses to a cluster of fluid-filled blisters that may pop and dry out over time.You cannot pass shingles from one person to another, but an open blister contains live VZV virus, the cause of chicken pox. Therefore, if you are unvaccinated and have never had chicken pox and you come into contact with an open shingles blister, you may develop chicken pox.Shingles can occur almost anywhere on the body, including the face, groin, and legs, but it most commonly affects one or two adjacent bands (dermatomes) on the trunk of the body.
Your shingles rash will usually clear up between two and four weeks, although the duration of your symptoms is likely to be shorter with treatment.
Shingles usually has a distinct look that differentiates it from pimples or allergic reactions. Shingles may also change appearance during its disease course: It starts out as a collection of flat and scaly blisters and quickly progresses to a cluster of fluid-filled blisters that may pop and dry out over time.
You cannot pass shingles from one person to another, but an open blister contains live VZV virus, the cause of chicken pox. Therefore, if you are unvaccinated and have never had chicken pox and you come into contact with an open shingles blister, you may develop chicken pox.
Shingles can occur almost anywhere on the body, including the face, groin, and legs, but it most commonly affects one or two adjacent bands (dermatomes) on the trunk of the body.
3 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.National Institute of Aging.Shingles.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles (herpes zoster) clinical overview.Izurieta HS, Wu X, Forshee R, et al.Recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix): real-world effectiveness in the first 2 years post-licensure.Clin Infect Dis. 2021;73(6):941-948. doi:10.1093/cid/ciab125
3 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.National Institute of Aging.Shingles.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles (herpes zoster) clinical overview.Izurieta HS, Wu X, Forshee R, et al.Recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix): real-world effectiveness in the first 2 years post-licensure.Clin Infect Dis. 2021;73(6):941-948. doi:10.1093/cid/ciab125
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.
National Institute of Aging.Shingles.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles (herpes zoster) clinical overview.Izurieta HS, Wu X, Forshee R, et al.Recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix): real-world effectiveness in the first 2 years post-licensure.Clin Infect Dis. 2021;73(6):941-948. doi:10.1093/cid/ciab125
National Institute of Aging.Shingles.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles (herpes zoster) clinical overview.
Izurieta HS, Wu X, Forshee R, et al.Recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix): real-world effectiveness in the first 2 years post-licensure.Clin Infect Dis. 2021;73(6):941-948. doi:10.1093/cid/ciab125
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