health sectionhealth sectionChicken pox (varicella) is usually a mild condition in healthy children. Adults, however, can face serious side effects and even death. Chicken pox can be treated with antiviral medication in people at risk for complications. Symptoms can be treated with pain relievers and anti-itch medications.
Chickenpox is a contagious disease that is caused by the herpes varicella zoster virus. Generally, people who get chickenpox once do not get it again, so most children get it earlier in life, if at all. As of 2009, administration of the chickenpox vaccine is required in order to enter most schools in the United States. Chickenpox will usually go away on its own in healthy children, but in people with compromised immune systems, it requires medical attention.
Chicken pox is a temporary condition that can have a long-term impact on the health and appearance of your skin. Depending on the number of chicken pox scars you have, their size, and their age, there are several treatments available ranging from topical balms to dermatological procedures. Although it is best to avoid chicken pox scars altogether by not scratching in the first place, if you've had chicken pox, you know that this option seems almost impossible when faced with that persistent itchy sensation.
Chicken pox, once a common childhood sickness, is becoming increasingly rare due to the now widely used varicella vaccine. Children are exposed to chicken pox less and therefore bring it home to their parents less. But that doesn't mean chicken pox is extinct. For children, chicken pox is uncomfortable. For adults, it can be unbearable. How does an adult make it through?
If, like most people, you had chicken pox as a child or were vaccinated against it, you probably are immune to it as an adult. However, an estimated 5 percent of adults are at risk of getting chicken pox, according to the University of Michigan's Adult Health Advisor. If you're one of the unlucky ones, here's how to treat it.
Chicken pox can be one of the most uncomfortable illnesses for children and adults to deal with. In seeking relief from the itchy rash, though, sufferers can cause more problems for their skin. Scratching the rash inflames the skin, causing lesions and keloids. Some of these scars will clear up on their own within weeks. Some will remain or leave behind dark marks, forcing sufferers to seek ways to reduce their appearance.
