Fatima Fahs

4 weeks ago | self.com | Fatima Fahs |Cheyenne Buckingham

Many people think shingles—a viral infection that causes a painful rash—is something only older people deal with, given that the risk generally increases with age. But Jacquelyn Gill, a professor at the University of Maine, had shingles nine years ago, when she was just 35. Even though health care providers know that younger adults can get the illness, she was initially misdiagnosed with impetigo when she went to urgent care the day her first symptom emerged.

1 month ago | self.com | Fatima Fahs |Alisa Hrustic

Thanks to its hallmark rash, which is characterized by red to brownish bumps that blister, leak fluid, and scab over, shingles, a.k.a. herpes zoster, is usually simple to diagnose. In its earliest stages, however, shingles can be slightly more insidious. That’s because the infection begins with nerve discomfort: a deep burning, sharp tingling, or deep-seated itch in an area where a painful rash will ultimately emerge.

Feb 7, 2025 | self.com | Fatima Fahs |Brittany Risher

When Lisa Mangini had some mild itching on her chest and right shoulder, she didn’t think much of it. But the next day, raised pink welts cropped up, along with pain that she said felt like glass in her skin. Though she suspected shingles based on how people she knew described their experience with the infection, she talked herself out of going to urgent care. “I was under the impression that only older adults got shingles,” says Mangini, who was 37 at the time.

Jul 25, 2024 | self.com | Fatima Fahs |Katie Camero

It wasn’t until after Marshana Dahlia Spavento, 43, finished devouring her falafel and hummus at an outdoor restaurant in Miami that she noticed the 52 bites on her legs. (Yes, she counted them.) She pulled up her midi skirt and realized that mosquitoes had turned her limbs into a bloody buffet. “I feasted on feta and the mosquitoes feasted on me,” Spavento tells SELF. She broke into a fever later that night as her legs became really swollen and hot.

Jul 19, 2024 | self.com | Fatima Fahs |Amy Norton

Here’s a not-so-fun fact that might surprise you: Skin cancer is not only the most common type of cancer in the United States—It’s diagnosed in numbers that surpass all other cancers combined. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 3 million Americans develop skin cancer every year. Now to the good news: Skin cancer is preventable, can often be caught early (including by the people who have it), and is usually highly treatable and curable.