what is the difference in appearance between shingles on back and poison oak in the same place.?

Answer 1

Poison oak is more like sores that spreads all over when scratched. Shingles is like a rash that spreads in a line around the body.

Answer 2

A doctor can usually tell just by visualizing, or looking at the lesions.

Shingles is the result of the activation of a herpes zoster virus that lives in the dorsal root ganglion of one of the large nerve bundles that supply one area of the body. When the virus activates, it follows that nerve pattern and erupts on the skin in the distribution of that dermatome (google the word for a map). In a few unfortunate individuals, two or even three dermatomes may be affected at the same time. The thing about dermatomes is that they DO NOT CROSS the midline of the body, and the rash will abruptly stop at the midline (an imaginary line drawn right down the middle of the front of the body, right through the nose, navel and genitalia).

Both shingles and poison oak contact dermatitis can be exquisitely painful, but usually, in a shingles outbreak, there is significant pain that seems to be below the skin, for hours or even days prior to the outbreak of the rash and subsequent vesicle formation.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

You would know if you had shingles. They are hard to explain, but the looks like deep stratches that are rised, and they hurt really bad and take awhile to clear up. I had shingles, and it's a burning pain.
If you got into poison oak it would be all over, shingles is usually on your back, and so poison oak can't get on your back unless you rolled in it or itched your back.But Shingles hurt way more than poison oak, believe me.
tina

Answer 4

Shingles usually appear in what's called a dermatone pattern. That means that it follows the distribution of the nerves where it was "hiding".

If you look closely at a patient with shingles, you can often see well defined borders to the rash. One side of the rash will often have a nearly straight line. Not present with poison oak.

Answer 5

I'm not completely familiar with the appearance of poison oak but have had shingles. The most noticeable thing with shingles outside of the red spots that feel like they are killing you is that they only appear on one side of your body at a time. If you have a rash that goes across it is highly unlikely to be shingles.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Please see the webpages for more details and images on Shingles and Poison oak.

Answer 8

shingles hurt like hell and follow a nerve

Answer 9

shingles are vesicles and are more painful than itchy, poison ivy is wheals and is more itchy