Poison Ivy Skin Rash

Poison ivy, oak, and sumac are plants that usually cause an allergic skin reaction. The result is typically an itching, red rash with bumps or blisters.

Poison ivy is one of the mainly regular causes of skin rash among children and adults who spend time outside. The plant can be located all through the United States, except in the Southwest, Hawaii and Alaska. It contains three shiny green leaves and a red stem. Poison ivy normally grows in the form of a vine, most of the time along riverbanks.
Causes
The rash is basically caused by skin contact with the oily juice or resin of these plants. Smoke from burning these plants can cause similar reaction. The oily juice typically enters the skin quickly, and is rarely transferred from person to person. Take note, the rash is NOT due to the fluid from the blisters. Hence, the moment the person has washed the oil off the skin, the rash is generally not contagious.
Note that the oily juice may last for long periods of time on contaminated, clothing, pets, tools, shoes, and other surfaces. These contaminated objects can cause further rashes long after the first exposure.
Symptoms
. Red rashes and tremendous itching.
. The rash explodes in streaks or patches where the plant had contact with the skin.
. The rash includes red bumps and might also form big, weeping blisters.
. The reaction can differ. Hospitalization is occasionally needed.
The rash typically appears within a couple of days after touched with the oils of the plant. The worst stage is most of the time from four to seven days. The rashes may last for one to three weeks.
First Aid
. Wash the skin carefully with soap and warm water. Because the resin penetrates skin rapidly, attempt to wash it off within 30 minutes. A product known as Tecnu, sold in camping stores and several pharmacies, is very efficient at eliminating the oils.
. Thoroughly scrub under the fingernails with a brush to prevent the oily juice from spreading to other portions of the body.
. Wash clothes and shoes with soap and hot water. The oily juice can remain on them.
. Swiftly bathe animals to get rid of the oils from their fur.
. Body heat and sweating can worsen the itching. Be calm and apply cool compresses to your skin.
. Calamine lotion and hydrocortisone cream can be applied to the skin to lessen itching and blistering. Bathing in lukewarm water with an oatmeal bath product, sold in drugstores, may relieve itchy skin. Aluminum acetate or Domeboro solution soaks can also aid to dry the rash and lessen itching.
. If creams, lotions, or bathing do not end the itching, antihistamines may be useful.
. In rigorous cases, particularly the rash around the face or genitals, your physician might prescribe oral or injected steroids.
DO NOT
. DO NOT touch skin or clothes that still have the oily juice.
. DO NOT burn poison ivy, oak, or sumac to get abolish it. The oily juices can be spread through smoke, and can cause tremendous reactions in people who are far downwind.