Poison Ivy Prevention
Over 85% of the people in the United States are allergic to poison ivy. This plant is commonly found in wooded areas where it can grow in the form of ground cover, vine or shrub. It is composed of three leaflets roughly triangular in shape . It oozes an oily resin made up of urushiol that upon contact with skin will cause itching, blisters and hive-like lesions that can leave you feeling miserable for several days. If the plant is burned, the urushiol particles can be inhaled causing internal allergic reactions.
Because it is such a common plant numerous methods of preventing and treating poison ivy have been developed over the years. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, just ask anyone who’s had a difficult bout with poison ivy or watched a loved one suffer with it. Learning to identify the plant and making sure that your skin does not come in contact with it is far and away the best method for avoiding poison ivy. However, it is not always easy to identify and it is a remarkably fast growing, adaptable plant. This makes it difficult to avoid without remaining indoors your entire life. Since this is not an option, when going out into the woods you should were long pants and long sleeves if possible to protect the skin.
However even the most cautious individuals run the risk of being exposed to poison ivy. Upon contact the resin will bind with the skin in less then five minutes. Once you realize you’ve come into contact with the irritating resin there are ways of minimizing the damage. The area should be immediately washed with soap and water to remove the urushiol that causes the allergic reaction. Cool water is better then a hot shower because the hot water will open up the pores allowing for deeper penetration of the irritant. There are a number of products sold over the counter that help shorten the time it takes to heal from poison ivy outbreaks and ease the symptoms. Home remedies include tea bags and aloe vera to sooth the itch caused by infection. However, no cure all has been found and seems that for the most part, once infected, the best treatment is time.
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