Poison Ivy Treatments

If you come in contact to poison ivy, you should quickly do this within 10 minutes. First is to clean affected areas with rubbing alcohol. The next would be to wash the exposed areas with water only. No soap used yet because soap can move the urushiol which is the oil from the poison ivy that causes the rash, around your body and generally make the irritation worse. Afterwards, take a shower with soap and warm water. And the last, use gloves and wipe everything you had with you which includes shoes, tools, and your clothes with rubbing alcohol combined with water.

Unluckily, if you let more than 10 minutes to past, the urushiol will stay on your skin and produce the poison ivy irritation. You may not be able to block it on your skin, but you could still scrub your nails and wipe off your shoes so that you don’t distribute the urushiol to new parts.

Commercial treatments, like Ivy Cleanse Towelettes, Zanfel, and Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub are also procurable over-the-counter, if you don’t want to utilize rubbing alcohol.

Keep in mind that poison ivy isn’t communicable though, so touching the irritations won’t actually distribute it. Since younger ones get poison ivy a lot, having a ‘poison ivy treatment kit’ available, with rubbing alcohol, a large container of water, and some soap would be a great idea. Since rubbing alcohol can be toxic, children should be guided with it though and it is not something you should give off into the wooded areas with them.

Treatments for the itching of poison ivy, oak, or sumac irritations extend from calamine lotion and oatmeal soaked baths to over-the-counter antihistamines and topical medications. Mild rashes may be relieved with a tub mixed with baking soda solution, an oatmeal bath, or aluminum acetate or Domeboro solution. Calamine lotion and menthol ointments diminish the itching and dry out mounting blisters. Over-the-counter hydrocortisone creams or ointments and anesthetic sprays and lotions have benzocaine and other numbing agents can treat itching as well.

Benadryl and other oral antihistamines are also efficient in soothing the pain and itch of poison plant rashes, but they can also result to drowsiness and are best utilized before bedtime.

In severe incidence of poison plant rash, a prescription-strength cortisone cream or corticosteroid treatment that can be either oral or injections may be needed to treat swelling and itching. These medications should be used under a doctor’s advice according to the directions for utilization only for the stated period of time prescribed. Overuse of corticosteroid creams has the capability of interfering with a younger individual’s normal growth and improvement. Corticosteroid treatment may not be a chosen treatment in children with diabetes because the drug has the capability of increasing blood glucose levels.

There are numerous lotions and creams available on the market that remove urushiol oil from the skin and can avoid further spreading of the rash if oil stays, or even prevent the rash completely if placed early enough following contact. Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol can also eradicate urushiol on both skin and household materials.