text: what could cause recurring blisters in the exact same area? for about 6 years now, i get these blisters on left elbow in the exact same spot. they itch when they are forming and as they go away, but hurt to touch pretty much from begining to end. it is usually just one main blister, but sometimes there are several smaller ones surrounding it. they are red and raised but never fill with puss and burst. they just seem to dry up and go away. it is bothersome and of course looks odd. a few years back, it was suggested that it might be shingles, but there is none of that intense nerve pain i hear about and my parents can't agree on if i ever had chickenpox or not. as it heals it does flake some. a doctor that saw it at that stage told me it was fungal before running out of the room and on to the next patient. i just can't find anything that matches up. this sounds to me like a classic herpes virus infection.  these are very common.  shingles is a form of herpes called herpes zoster but i think you have herpes simplex.  the only way to know for sure is to get checked when you have a fresh outbreak.  a doctor can do a tzanck preparation which is essentially a free test, they just take a sample and look under the microscope after the slide is stained.  if you want to get high tech, you can ask for a viral pcr test of a fresh lesion.  these are extremely accurate but a bit more expensive.  you may be able to go to a free std clinic for their expertise.  although this is not an std problem, those doctors are pretty skilled with skin conditons.  good luck!