Think You’re Too Young for Shingles? Think Again

Whether you know someone who’s had it or just heard a lot about it, you probably think of shingles as an intense viral infection that causes a painful, blistering rash. On this, you’d be right. But, you might also think that you don't have to worry about getting shingles yourself until your cake has at least 50 birthday candles. On this, you’d definitely be mistaken. Just ask Ed Sheeran, who on April 28 announced on Instagram that at just 34, he had a shingles outbreak that lasted a full month.

The musician is far from alone. In fact, around 1 in 3 people will develop shingles at some point during their lifetime and up to 1 million people get shingles every year, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. About half of all people who get shingles are 60 plus, according to the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Aging.

However, you can get shingles at any age, provided you’ve previously had the chickenpox (you can also get shingles if you have had the vaccine for chicken pox, though your odds are much lower). That’s because the same virus — varicella-zoster — is behind both conditions. Shingles is merely a reactivation of the virus that has been latent in your body since recovering from the initial chickenpox outbreak.

“In otherwise healthy younger adults, a shingles outbreak can mean weeks of painful interruption to daily life, sleep, work, and family responsibilities,” says Shibani S. Mukerji, M.D., Ph.D., associate director of the neuro-infectious diseases unit at Massachusetts General Hospital of Mass General Brigham in Boston, and associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.

After recovering from the chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus doesn't leave your body, Dr. Mukerji explains. “It retreats into nerve tissue near your brain and spinal cord, where it can lie dormant for decades,” she says. “Later in life, often when your immune system becomes less robust due to age, stress, illness, or certain medications, the virus can reactivate. When it does, it travels along nerves to your skin, causing shingles.”

That said, certain other people are more susceptible to a shingles infection. “Pregnant women can be at risk for shingles because of an association with immunosuppression, which happens to maintain fetal health,” says Inessa Gendlina, M.D., Ph.D., an infectious disease specialist at Montefiore Einstein in Bronx, New York, and associate professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “People with autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are also at higher risk.”

Plus, adults in their 30s and 40s with common chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, kidney disease, and even depression have up to a 31% higher risk of getting shingles, per research published in March 2026.

Most people only get shingles once, although it’s possible, albeit rarely, to get it again, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Symptoms of a shingles outbreak tend to follow the same sequence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Typically, the earliest sign is a tingling, itchy, or painful feeling on the skin even if no rash is yet visible. Shingles follows a dermatome, an area of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve root, which is why the rash is often linear in shape. A shingles rash will often begin to appear a few days later.

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Once a rash develops, you may experience:

• Increased pain and itching at the rash site
• Fever
• Chills
• Nausea

“The rash typically appears as a stripe or band on one side of your body, often on your face, neck, or torso,” says Dr. Mukerji. The rash then develops into painful, weeping blisters, which will scab over in roughly a week to 10 days.

The pain caused by shingles should not be overestimated. “What many people don’t realize is that shingles is really a nerve inflammation first, and a rash second,” says Richard M. Dupee, M.D., MACP, AGSF, chief of geriatrics at Tufts Medical Center in Boston and clinical professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. “The pain from shingles can be burning, stabbing, or electric in nature, and may begin even before the rash appears.”

Yes. “In some people, a condition called postherpetic neuralgia can cause nerve pain that lingers for months or even years after the rash clears,” says Dr. Mukerji. “For others, in rare cases, having shingles can cause strokes or other neurological complications.” Previous research has found that inflammation caused by the infection could potentially raise the stroke risk for up to three months in people under 40.

Experiencing shingles on the face makes the infection particularly dangerous because if the virus reaches your eye, it could threaten your vision, says Dr. Dupee. “In rare cases, it can also affect the facial nerve, causing weakness, hearing problems, or dizziness. More serious neurologic complications such as meningitis or encephalitis are uncommon, but can occur.”

Not directly. Here are some common scenarios to help explain the risk, according to the CDC:

If you have not had chickenpox and you’re near someone who has an active chickenpox episode, you could catch chickenpox. This means you could get shingles in the future.

The risk is worse if you have not had chickenpox, and you come into contact with an open blister of someone who has a shingles rash. It’s this additional skin-to-skin transfer of the varicella-zoster that makes you more susceptible, according to the Mayo Clinic.

If you have shingles, you can protect others by covering your rash with a petroleum jelly (e.g., Vaseline) and non-adherent gauze until the blisters have all scabbed over.

Antiviral medications, such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir, are the primary defense against shingles, as they can shorten the duration of an outbreak, lessen its severity, and reduce the risk for lingering symptoms, per the CDC.

However, it’s important to start treatment within 72 hours of the first sign of infection, according to Harvard Medical School, as this is when antivirals are most effective. Don’t hesitate to contact your doctor for treatment if you suspect shingles.

Once diagnosed, you can also ease discomfort while you heal with the help of cool compresses and loose clothing, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association.

For those who have had chickenpox, keeping stress, which puts acute stress on your immune system, at bay is important. A strong immune system means your body can better fight off the virus, making shingles less likely. ,

The shingles vaccine may also be an option. “The shingles vaccine, Shingrix, is considered very safe and highly effective,” says Dr. Dupee. “The current CDC vaccination recommendation is for adults 50 and older, as well as adults 19 and older who are immunocompromised.”

Know that as with any vaccine, there may be some side effects, including “arm soreness, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, and sometimes flu-like symptoms for a day or two,” says Dr. Dupee. “Interestingly, younger people often experience these temporary side effects a bit more strongly, because their immune systems tend to mount a more vigorous response.” Your doctor can provide a tailored recommendation based on your unique health history.

Healthy lifestyle choices, stress reduction, and vaccination can reduce your risk of getting shingles, but the truth is that shingles can show up in anyone, at any age. If you suspect you might be experiencing shingles, seek help from your doctor now — don’t wait. You can't eradicate the virus from your body, but you do have science-backed tools to help prevent it, treat it, as well as ease the pain while you recover.

Medically reviewed byBrooke Williams, D.O.

Brooke Williams, D.O., is an accomplished Board-Certified Internal Medicine specialist who serves as a dedicated Hospitalist in North Carolina. Having successfully completed her residency training in the vibrant South-suburbs of Chicago, she also took the initiative to co-found a commendable nonprofit organization named Color of Medicine. This organization is committed to promoting diversity in medicine and STEM fields, with a particular focus on empowering underrepresented minorities. Dr. Williams passionately advocates for enhancing cultural competency and addressing racial health disparities within minority communities, displaying unwavering dedication to creating a more inclusive and equitable healthcare landscape.