Shingles- on face??

[TinglyFace]

Can shingles sort of lay dormant then attack?
I am currently awaiting a Drs phonecall back with a face to face appointment

Ive had this rash on my face and was given steroid cream via a zoom Drs app. The cream definitely helped the symptoms but as soon as I stopped it the rash/blisters have come back aggressively. My side of face does feel tingly and odd under the skin. The blisters are really sore. I had a virus before Xmas. Could’ve linked?
anyway I know you aren’t Drs! But just interested to see if anyone had had similar.

You poor love. Can you do an online consult and get some aciclovir? I take it (as does my sis) for cold sore outbreaks (which we both feel before they show - the tablets stop the attack in its tracks).

They are pretty benign if it's not shingles.

Look out for face drooping (Ramsay hunt syndrome, I think it's called). My friend had this and speed is of the essence (I'd never heard of it before).

good luck x

I'm not a doctor or a dermatologist, but I wouldn't be using steroid cream on that and would get it properly checked out as soon as you can. If it is shingles (and it might be!), the location of it is worrying - you don't want it affecting the nerves to the eye. Antivirals are best started as soon as possible. Go and see a pharmacist today and take their advice.

My shingles rash looked nothing like that. And you don't mention the horrific nerve pain, just sore blisters. I would bet it isn't shingles but hope you get answers soon.

I’ve just had a phone consultation. She said as I’ve had it as long as I have (over 2 weeks) it can’t be Shingles. So she said to use the steroid cream again for 1 week and report back if not helped.
she has said likely to be dermatitis. I wasn’t offered a face to face!

As I haven’t got a ‘proper’ appointment I’m going to walk down to the chemist and ask them to look at it.

I was just going to tell you to do that!

Dr I spoke to did say that Dermatitis can make your face feel funny and sore. And that if it was Shingles then the steroid cream wouldn’t have helped at all.

I think it looks herpetic. I'd ask for some aciclovir cream. And tell the GP to do her job properly and see you! (I'm a retired GP...this reliance on photos and phone were fine in the first lockdown but rubbish since!)

Yes. I’ll get my coat. Hat etc on! And have a nice walk in the snow into the town.

Could be shingles. However I think if it’s peri oral dermatitis, steroid cream will make it worse. Have a google. Antifungal cream works really well for PD.

My mum ( a very old lady) had it by her ear and face. Dreadful rash, throwing up., swollen red lip, dreadful nerve pain. She was given the usual medication for shingles but it lasted a few weeks. She ended up with gabapentin for nerve pain coz it was awful. Took me 3 trips to GP and 2 trips to hospital before it was properly diagnosed. !!!! ( i'm not making this up) They kept insisting it was an ear infection at the beginning. So it's either hard to diagnose or they were all a bit incompetent. Never really got to the bottom of it.

Pharmacist said definitely would be good to see a dr face to face. But does seem lke dermatitis which she said is really trial and error to try and control :(

Ouch, what a cop-out! So basically she doesn't know what it is or how to treat it. I hope you can get to see a GP or dermatologist (or scour every pharmacy for advice!) soon, OP. It it is shingles, you don't want to be taking any chances with it. Good luck, and keep us updated!

I now doubt it is Shingles as I’ve had it for a while.
Pharmacist said that I could try a week of steroid, then a week off.
then a week of anti fungal (Clotrimazole) then a week off.

Feel a bit on the dark tbh! I’ll give it a few days and if the steroid hasn’t calmed it down I’ll try and get a proper Drs appointment

I’ve had this - I think it’s perioral dermatitis- there’s a recent thread on health which you might find helpful. As others have said steroid cream doesn’t help and can make it worse - the cure for me was antibiotics and antifungal creams working together. I had to use a private online doc as GP kept suggesting steroids and didn’t want to prescribe anything else. Mine lasted a few months and I had to take antibiotics for eight weeks. Mine also spread to my lips. It’s horrible!

Another vote for peri oral dermatitis. Mine is triggered by steroids! So I would not be using steroid cream on that.

In my experience doing nothing (and I mean nothing...no makeup, no moisturiser, no cleanser, no face wash) is the way to deal with it until it's dry. Once it's dry a tiny bit of aveeno is the only thing that doesnt set it off.

But, it's one of those things that's very much trial and error and very personal!

It looks a little bit like coldsores. I sometimes get them on my chin and occasionally in my nose! They don't have to be on your lip. But I did get a small rash very similar to that when I was rundown and stressed. I sometimes put moisturiser on it, sometimes didn't. It went eventually on its own.

I think you guys are right about the P dermatitis.
AND that I’ll have to pretty much sort it out myself. First day back at work today and I have a sore face :(
Im definitely trying the Nothing approach. Ill
check out that Health post. Thanks

@impressivelycunty can you direct me towards that Thread? I can’t seem to find it!

Have you had the new vaccine for Shingles?

No vaccine

You'd be really ill and in agony if it was shingles, it's not just a tingly rash (I've had it on my face). It also tends to be around the eye.

Yeah, the pain is horrific.

I get PD when I’ve gone in a bit too much with actives like tretinoin. Have you started a new anti ageing skincare treatment recently? My PD looks very much like yours-lots of little blisters and red open skin. I have always managed to get on top of it quickly but stopping all actives and applying antifungal cream (can buy on Amazon) twice daily. If you are on Instagram, check out Addicted to Face. She has saved highlights on PD so may be good tips there.
Steroid cream can cause it or worsen it so I would stop that.
In think in severe cases you may need an antibiotic.

@thedogdaysareover51 I haven’t changed anything and tbh don’t use much skincare really. And haven’t changed any makeup.