Poison Ivy Rash Treatments
There are numerous poison ivy treatments out there. How can you tell which ones really work? Is it necessary to pay top dollar for topical creams? Are there at home remedies that will work just as well as the more expensive ones at the drug store? After wondering all of these things myself I set out in search of the truth.
One fact that I thought was interesting is that poison ivy will not cause an allergic reaction in everyone. Some people simply are not allergic to it. Most people will have an allergic reaction though. Don’t think just because you’ve been exposed and did not develop a rash that means you’re immune. For some people it takes several exposures to before your body will begin to develop this allergic reaction. If you do indeed have an allergic reaction what do you do?
The first step in poison ivy rash treatment is to clean the exposed area with alcohol. Try to do this within 10 minutes of the initial exposure. Next, wash the area with plain water. Although it is tempting to wash the infected area with soap as well it is not a good idea at this point. The soap can actual move the infectious oil around and make the rash worse. Once it has been rinsed with plain water, then it is time for the soap. It is best to take a shower to do this. Make sure the shower is long and you rinse the soap of very well to ensure you have rinsed off the harmful oils from the poison ivy plant.
The last step in this poison ivy treatment is to put gloves on and wipe down everything you were wearing with rubbing alcohol and water. This would include anything like the shoes you were wearing, any tools you may have been using and the clothes you were wearing. If you are unable to wash yourself sufficiently within 10 minutes you will likely not be able to avoid the rash. In this case you should still rinse everything down with rubbing alcohol and water so as to prevent spreading the infection to other parts of your body.
If the rash does develop there are several effective over the counter poison ivy treatments you can purchase from your local drugstore. As your pharmacist for a recommendation based on your skin type and the severity of your rash.
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5 Tips to Avoid Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy, everybody’s heard of it at some point in their life whether it was from a cartoon or just walking in the forest with a few friends. Many people take this weed for granted and ignore the fact that it is poisonous. But in actual fact this weed can cause serious rashes and even blistering when the oil from this plant comes in contact with your skin. Poison ivy rash (Toxicodendron rydbergii) causes the skin to form little red blisters, which in turn if scratched releases the toxic oils to other parts of the skin causing the rash to spread rather quickly. So to avoid this nasty little side effect here are 5 tips that you can use to avoid the plant all together, saving you some anguish and misery.
- 1. The first and most common prevention is knowing what the plant looks like so you can avoid touching it. As the old saying goes, “Leaves of three, Let it be”. When you see sprouts with 3 almond shaped leaves coming out a reddish stem then know to move away!
- 2. The second way to avoid being caught in this itchy predicament is to dress accordingly. If you know or suspect that the place where you’re going to be walking is going to have poison ivy then wear long pants. Even trace amounts can be transferred from your clothes to your skin, which can cause a rash. But direct contact is much worse.
- 3. The third way to avoid poison ivy is to know your surroundings. If you know you surrounding area and forests well then you can avoid areas that have high concentrations of poison ivy all together.
- 4. The fourth way is a perfect way to go about it because it allows you to wear shorts and just walk around care free. You can buy several different kinds of poison ivy preventative lotions that protect your skin from exposure to the oils altogether.
- 5. The final and very inventive way of avoiding poison ivy is if you get it on your clothes you can avoid touching it by standing under direct sunlight and having the oil evaporate away from you. This will also save you from having it touch you skin when you have to wash the oil soaked clothes later on. If you follow these 5 tips your sure to make your out doors trips itch free!
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Poison Ivy Rash Symptoms
Poison ivy is not a plant one should deal with without proper care. This plant can cause extreme discomfort to many people it comes in contact with. Not everyone will have the same reactions to this plant, you can build up an immunity to the plant through repeated exposures.
What most people experience is an allergic reaction. They will break out in a very irritating poison ivy rash that covers the area that was exposed to the poison ivy. This rash will begin with some redness and itching. And as it continues it should produce blisters and bumps. In some cases the rash can worsen. The rash will then continue to open sores that ooze a clear liquid. The rash does not spread, rather in the areas that had the most contact with the poison ivy plant they will develop a rash first. The other areas had less contact so it took longer for the allergic reaction to occur.
The rash is not contagious, and the clear liquid that may be released from the blisters or sores will not spread poison ivy’s effects. There are worse effects if poison ivy is burned and inhaled or even eaten. If poison ivy is inhaled through burning, the same rash will develop on the inside of the lungs and could potentially be fatal. If poison ivy is ingested, the rash can develop down the digestive tract and damage organs. It is also interesting to note that those with more severe reactions to poison ivy may also be allergic to mangoes, since both plants are in the same family. Poison ivy can affect people through direct contact with the plant, even years after the plant has died. It is also important to note that the oils can be carried on animal fur and then rubbed off on people in contact with them. And poison ivy is often grouped with aromatic surmac or the Japanese lacquer tree because they all have similar symptoms.
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