i dint know i had phn, until i visited that sub, it only lasted a couple years though. its nerve damage, mostly at the site where the scars is, its numb where it is, and hypersensitive touch surrounding skin. also a wierd spasm where the scars are if i poke aggressively. shingles cause all sorts of sensation abnormalities, once you have siginifcant scarring(which indicates alot of damage) the size was only larger than a quarter, compared others(where you see back to front rashes). i knew 2 people who had cranial shingles(which affects the eyes )