What is Herpes Zoster (Shingles)?

Anyone who has had chicken pox has the potential to develop shingles. In fact, 1 in every 5 people will experience at least one episode of shingles.

After a case of chicken pox, the virus remains in a dormant stage (hibernation). Years later, it may awaken and travel down the nerve and produce grouped blisters in a linear pattern corresponding to the nerve that supplies that area of skin. The most common location is on the trunk, but it can occur anywhere.