Medical Encyclopedia

Herpes zoster (shingles) on the chest

This is a picture of herpes zoster (shingles) on the chest. Shingles are caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.Outbreaks of shingles often follow the distribution of nerves in the skin.This distribution pattern is called a dermatome (see the "dermatomes" picture).The linear distribution of the nerve in the skin is very easily seen in this photograph.