If, like 90% of adults, you had chickenpox as a child, you are at risk of developing shingles, an infection of a nerve and the skin around it, most simply described as the reactivation of the chickenpox virus.

The virus, herpes varicella-zoster, remains dormant in the body after you’ve recovered from chicken pox and can reactivate.

When shingles develop, a very painful rash or blisters appear on the skin, generally on one side of the body, head, neck or eye. After a few days the blisters dry out and scabs will form, however it can take up to four weeks for the rash to heal completely.

Although it is not common for anyone to have long term effects, the illness can cause complications for some people, and as it also causes nerves to become inflamed, shingles can lead to severe and chronic pain.

The nerve pain some experience with shingles, post herpetic neuralgia PHN, can be severe and unpleasant, and is often described as burning, stabbing or throbbing in nature.

Thankfully though, preventing shingles is now a reality with Zostavax. The Zostavax vaccine, which is available at Edinburgh private health clinic, YourGP, reduces the risk of reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus.

Available to those over 50 years of age, it reduces the extent of symptoms and the severity of the pain associated with the illness.

Zostavax is provided at short-notice treatment, and is delivered by our trained and highly experienced team at our beautiful clinic in the historic Dean Village, Edinburgh.

When you come in for your appointment at YourGP, the clinician will take a medical history and discuss the vaccination with you.

If the treatment is appropriate for you, it will be administered by a fully trained nurse, who will give the vaccination as a single dose by an injection under the skin, normally in the upper arm.

For more information, or to book your Zostavax consultation, call 0131 225 5656 or email reception@your.gp .

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