Comments on: Shingles: Am I still contagious?

Question: Shingles: Am I still contagious?

2oh1 — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:38:27 -0800

How long is Shingles contagious? If you had shingles: how long did it take before the marks were totally gone?

Lucky me, I had Shingles last month. Actually, I had it from the later half of June into early July. It was a horrible experience, but really, my case was so mild that I shouldn't complain. My doctor prescribed medicine which I took 5 times a day for 7 days. The pain went away and the marks are fading away too. In fact, they're almost gone (but not quite) Yuck. I know, right? Luckily, I only had a few. Like I said, I got lucky and only had a very mild case.

Two questions:

#1: How long before I am no longer contagious? I'm probably being overly cautious.

#2: If you had shingles: how long did it take before the marks were totally gone?

By: hms71

hms71 — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:41:17 -0800

the Mayo Clinic explains being contagious - Shingles: Causes - MayoClinic.com

By: brina

brina — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:54:14 -0800

I had shingles twice. I am not a doctor, but:

I was told it's contagious as long as there are open sores/bumps. Although I think I only had to stay inside for like a week after getting the medication the second time, the first time I was in third grade and had to stay home from school for a month. (Lucky me, my best friend brought me all my assignments so I could keep up from home.)

It took like a month, though, to recover from both rounds of shingles. I still have slight neuralgia from the second round, but it's almost unnoticeable.

So if your marks are no longer oozing and are mostly gone, and they're not in places where people might touch you, and they're covered by clothing, you're probably okay. Might want to warn any pregnant or friends, or friends with kids, or older folks.

By: jedicus

jedicus — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:59:44 -0800

Be aware that the marks may scar. The scars should fade somewhat over a year or so but may not ever entirely disappear. If you're concerned about that then I would talk to a doctor now about possible cosmetic treatments.

By: Ardiril

Ardiril — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 22:23:03 -0800

Two years later, my scars have not faded in the least. One is on the very tip of my nose. It's actually kind of cute. The vision in my right eye, though, is noticeably degraded, and that was despite the efforts of an eye doctor and an infectious disease specialist working together directly.

By: treehorn+bunny

treehorn+bunny — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 22:35:20 -0800

IANYD. Chickenpox and shingles have a general rule of thumb that they are contagious until the sores scab over.

By: Decani

Decani — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:05:14 -0800

What other people said about the contagious period.

I had fairly visible marks for about a couple of months after the scabbing-over period. They slowly faded completely over a few months after that.

By: 2oh1

2oh1 — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:23:49 -0800

I'm about a month past the scabbing. I still have marks, though faint. I just want to be sure I'm not contagious.

By: vasi

vasi — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:26:34 -0800

My blisters left no real scars, two weeks after getting shingles it would have been impossible to tell I ever had it.

By: dfan

dfan — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 05:45:53 -0800

Obviously everybody's answers here are different, but one more data point: I had a relatively small case of shingles on my torso 20+ years ago and the scars are still there.

By: Coatlicue

Coatlicue — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 06:29:07 -0800

I had a mild case of shingles 3 years ago. It stretched from my upper spine to underneath my boob. And it left zero evidence it was ever there. No scars. There were lingering marks in the area for a few months, but they weren't that bad.

Sorry you had to deal with this stupid shingles crap!

By: treehorn+bunny

treehorn+bunny — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:02:14 -0800

2oh1, you say "I just want to be sure I'm not contagious" like you're still not sure.

If you're a month past the scabbing, you really need not worry further.

By: 2oh1

2oh1 — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:06:01 -0800

"If you're a month past the scabbing, you really need not worry further."

Thanks. My doctor was on vacation when I went in, so I ended up seeing someone else. I'd swear that doctor said I'd be contagious until the marks went away. Clearly, that's not the case if some people's never went away! Oof. Mine are fading and I'm hoping that in another month or two they'll be gone.