If you've ever had shingles, you'd know how particularly uncomfortable the experience is. Caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) — aka the chickenpox virus — in the body, this painfully itchy condition is actually far more common than you might realize.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , approximately 1 million people in the United States contract shingles, and about a third of the country's population will experience it at least once in their lifetime. That's right: It is possible to get shingles more than once ; the only way to protect yourself from this annoying skin condition — which has no cure, by the way — is to get the shingles vaccine .

If left untreated or undiagnosed, shingles can cause long-term complications in

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