How to cure shingles on lips, mouth and neck without leaving scars

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Tran Van Sang - Dermatologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital. The doctor has 18 years of experience in the field of Dermatology.
Shingles is actually a disease caused by the invasion of the herpes zoster virus, a rather dangerous virus that is also the cause of chickenpox today.

1. What is shingles?

Currently, shingles, also known as shingles, appears quite common, the symptoms of this disease will make the patient feel extremely uncomfortable, irritable and painful. Because they can appear in many places on the body, right from the moment they appear, you should take the best measures to avoid the disease from spreading and becoming more dangerous.
Shingles can occur at any age, on any part of the body. When you have this disease, your skin will appear red, swollen patches, then small blisters will appear on the surface and burst in about 2 to 3 weeks. Usually, shingles in the eyes are the most dangerous, because they can become severely infected and leave many scars on the cornea. In severe cases, you can develop conjunctivitis and ulceration of the cornea, greatly affecting vision, even blindness if not treated properly.

2. Shingles symptoms

Patients may have fever, burning, swelling of the infected area, especially when it is hot, the feeling is even more uncomfortable. Mild fever about 37 - 38.5 degrees Celsius, fatigue, irritability, stress.
Shingles can appear on any skin area on the body, it lasts about 10-15 days and occurs in all ages.
In the diseased skin area, first there is a feeling of itching, burning pain, stinging, swelling and redness, then quickly grow many nodules, followed by blisters, at first pale opaque, then light red and then red. It quickly spreads to many sides and inside the succulent nodules, the swelling gradually enlarges, and at the same time it is still itchy and uncomfortable where the diseased skin is. If the shingles are broken, the chance of spreading the disease is faster.
After the signs of shingles stop, the patient always feels a lot of pain in the diseased skin, especially in the scars that have been formed called post-shingles pain, with the characteristic that the pain is not relieved by the treatment. common pain relievers. Therefore, to relieve pain, it is often necessary to block with local anesthetic around the scars or use local anesthetic to soothe the pain.
Usually, shingles do not recur, only once in a lifetime, and according to studies, there is a very small incidence of organ cancer in elderly people who have shingles.

3. Best cure within 48 hours

The best time to cure shingles is within 48 hours of skin damage.
Mild cases can be cured by folk methods, however, you should still go to medical facilities to be treated in the first place, to avoid infection. If left to later, the treatment results will be poor and can leave sequelae lasting for many months, years, even pain for life, especially for middle-aged people.
The sequelae that shingles leave behind are bruises that will fade and fade from 3-6 months. Possible complications are long-lasting ulcers, keloid scars, concave scars, white marks or bruises due to post-inflammatory pigmentation disorders...
If the 5th nerve is damaged, it can cause reduction, or vision loss. Injury to the 7th nerve can cause facial paralysis and mouth distortion. In addition, it can also cause superinfection on the skin due to late treatment, the sores will become infected, inflamed, fester (very dangerous if shingles in the eye socket can lead to conjunctivitis, keratitis). , corneal ulcer...). If the damage to the skin is severe, it can spread into the circulatory system, causing damage to organs such as brain, liver, lungs, which can lead to death.
3.1.The fastest way to treat shingles in the mouth If you unfortunately have shingles in the mouth, you can apply some of the following treatment methods.
Treatment with antibiotics:
Depending on the severe and mild progression of the disease, you can use appropriate antibiotics to achieve the best treatment. In case the patient wants to reduce the duration of the rash, as well as limit the burning pain caused by the acne, use antiviral drugs such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, famciclovir.
After using the above drugs, but the disease still does not improve, it is best to use some more pain relievers such as pregabalin, gabapentin for 1-3 weeks.
Topical drugs such as jarish, dalibour, or antibiotic solution can be used for wounds with a lot of discharge. For dry skin, acyclovir cream can be used to relieve pain and cool the wound. For infected skin, antibiotic ointments such as foban or bactroban will be the best choice.
Supplement with vitamin C
With many different uses of vitamin C, it will bring great benefits to human health, including shingles. The activity of vitamin C will quickly promote the effect of helping the wound heal faster.
For effective use, it is best to consult a doctor to use the correct dosage.

3.2 How to treat shingles in the eyes Using medicine
Depending on the severity of the disease, a dermatologist will prescribe the most appropriate medication. In particular, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and antibiotic drugs will be used to the maximum to combat superinfection and help disinfect wounds on the spot. In addition, the doctor can also give eye drops to nourish and protect the eyes when shingles. Also give advice on what to do with shingles.
Use bandages to relieve pain
Patients can use bandages, cold medical gauze to apply to the skin affected by shingles, they will help the wound reduce symptoms of burning pain and discomfort.
Cleaning the damaged skin
With antiseptic solutions and quick drying solutions like eosin, you can clean the damaged skin, avoid bacteria from entering and causing superinfection .
Absolutely do not use indiscriminate leaves to cover the wound.
Nutritional supplements to increase the body's resistance
In addition to ordinary oral drugs, you can add nutrients to strengthen the body's resistance such as vegetables, fresh fruits, nutritious food with high heat dissipation. In addition, you should also drink more filtered water to hydrate the body when sick.
3.3 How to treat shingles in the neck Take medicine as prescribed by your doctor
To treat shingles in the neck, you will often be prescribed by doctors to use drugs with anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties such as Acyclovir, Famciclovir, Valacyclovir with appropriate dosage according to age and severity.
These drugs will inhibit the activity of the virus, relieve pain and eliminate toxins accumulated in the blood vessels, helping the disease heal faster.
Keep personal hygiene clean
Patients need to keep their personal hygiene clean and choose loose and airy clothes to avoid rubbing the diseased skin, causing damage to them.
Prevent dust
Patients need to cover the wound caused by shingles when going out carefully to avoid bacteria and dust from the environment coming into contact with the wound, causing dangerous superinfection, makes the wound take longer to heal.

4. Notes in the treatment of shingles

When suffering from shingles, it is necessary to pay attention to the following issues so that the wound does not become infected as well as recover quickly.
Patients should wear loose, airy clothes to avoid touching the wound, and at the same time not making the blisters burst.
Shingles is a disease that is transmitted by contact with secretions from the wound, so avoid touching the wound, as well as not sharing it with the infected person's living utensils.
Do not arbitrarily apply green beans, glutinous rice to the wound, because it will make the wound more infected.

5. Shingles prevention

In order for this disease not to affect health, activities, and work, it is necessary to take the following preventive measures:
If you have ever had shingles or chickenpox, you should pay attention to prevent shingles in the future. wet rainy season, when resistance weakens. Get vaccinated against shingles with the zostavas vaccine. This is a vaccine that is applied by some countries to people over 60 years old, because shingles mainly occurs in the elderly. On the other hand, shingles and chickenpox are caused by the same virus and can be prevented by preventing chickenpox:
Vaccinate against chickenpox . Do not share personal utensils, eating utensils with patients with chickenpox. Do not come into direct contact with the body fluids of a person with chickenpox. Disinfect household items that have been shared when detecting disease sources to minimize the risk of infection. Besides, to prevent shingles as well as many other diseases, it is advisable to build a healthy, joyful lifestyle, regularly exercise, think optimistically, avoid prolonged stress and supplement with adequate nutrients. nursing. Although shingles is not dangerous, if the patient is subjective, it will cause unpredictable harm. Therefore, when you see that the shingles are spreading, forming a band on one side of the body, causing pain and discomfort to the patient, it is best to see a specialist for examination.
To prevent shingles, you can go to Vinmec International General Hospital for advice, scheduling and vaccination against chickenpox to prevent the disease in the safest and most effective way.
All biological products and vaccines at Vinmec are of clear origin; preserved on the cold chain according to strict standards of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. Customers are examined and screened before injection, and their health is monitored after injection to ensure the highest safety and effectiveness of vaccination.

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