Treatment
The aims of treatment are to limit the severity and duration of pain, shorten the duration of a shingles episode, and reduce complications. Symptomatic treatment is often needed for the complication of postherpetic neuralgia. However, a study on untreated herpes zoster shows that pain once the rash has cleared postherpetic neuralgia is very rare in people under 50 and wears off in time; in older people the pain wore off more slowly, but even in people over 70, 85% were pain free one year after their shingles outbreak.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpes_zoster