Herpes on the body is a viral acute disease that manifests itself in the form of skin rashes, accompanied by pain and itching in the affected areas. Most often, herpes on the body occurs in the chest, abdomen and back. It can also affect the arms, legs, head, and mucous membranes.  

The cause of herpes on the body is the presence of the varicella-zoster virus in the body. The virus transferred in childhood remains in the nerve nodes (ganglia) and during normal functioning of the immune system, the disease does not manifest itself in any way, but in the case of a decrease in immunity, the virus begins to actively develop.

Reasons for the appearance of herpes on the body

At the onset of the disease, girdle pain occurs in the area of ​​the spinal nerve. A sick person feels a general malaise, chills and increased skin sensitivity. It happens that pain occurs without the appearance of a rash and vice versa.

Within five days, rashes appear on certain areas of the skin, consisting of red spots, which subsequently turn into painful blisters filled with serous fluid. Bursting, the bubbles become covered with a crust, after the separation of which a slight erosion remains. After healing, sores leave spots that remain on the skin for life.

The herpes virus is contagious from the onset of the disease to the formation of crusts, but only a person who has not had chickenpox before can become infected. The disease ” herpes on the body ” is transmitted through physical contact with the carrier of the infection, or through common items. Therefore, a sick person should minimize communication with others and use individual cutlery and hygiene items.

The group of increased risk of infection is made up of newborn children, pregnant women, the elderly, as well as people with weak immunity and have not had chickenpox before.

Treating herpes on the body

In the treatment of the disease, drugs with antipyretic and antimicrobial properties are used. Most often , Isoprinosine , Acyclovir, Valacyclovir , Foscarnet are prescribed from this group .

In case of severe pain, he prescribes pain medications and ointments containing lidocaine and acetaminophen to the patient . These include Zovirax , Acyclovir, Foscarnet . In addition, applying a zinc ointment will help speed up the healing process of the rash.

In addition to eliminating the external manifestations of herpes, it is necessary to improve the functioning of the immune system. For this, immunomodulatory drugs and vitamin complexes are used. The necessary vitamins are vitamins A, C and E. Propolis extract in the form of tablets or ointments reduces the activity of the herpes virus. Garlic extract also works well.

You can treat herpes on the body with the help of folk remedies:  

– with an ointment of 100 grams of honey, 3 cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of ash, areas of the skin affected by herpes are treated;

– Accelerate the healing process and relieve itching with bitter almond oil or tea tree oil. It is better to use these oils not in pure form, but in a mixture with olive or any vegetable oil;

– with a large number of rashes, baths with the addition of sea salt will be useful;

– you can make lotions to the places of rashes from a decoction of peppermint. Other herbs can be used for the broth: celandine, wormwood, tansy, immortelle, elecampane, marigold;

– aloe sheets, cut lengthwise and applied to the lesions, help well with herpes;

– gruel is made from fresh leaves of cinquefoil and applied to rashes;

– birch tar can be applied to the affected areas once a day.

For the prevention of herpes, immunity should be maintained at the proper level. To do this, you can use echinacea: root decoction, tincture or tablets.