At first the rash appears similar to the first appearance of hives; however, unlike hives, shingles causes skin changes limited to a dermatome, normally resulting in a stripe or belt-like pattern that is limited to one side of the body and does not cross the midline.
Mara ya kwanza upele huonekana sawa na kuonekana kwa kwanza kwa mizinga; hata hivyo, tofauti na mizinga, vipele husababisha mabadiliko ya ngozi kwa dermatomu pekee, kwa kawaida husababisha mchoro au muundo unaofanana na ukanda ambao umezuiliwa kwa upande mmoja wa mwili na hauvuki mstari wa kati.