How to treat posion ivy

A poison ivy is a plant that has a toxin by the name Urushiol oil lubricated on its leaves. Coming into contact with a poison ivy either directly or indirectly can cause a rash. Before looking into ways of treating poison ivy, lets look at how tell its signs and what actually causes it.

Poison ivy rash

Any contact with poison ivy can lead to a rash - allergic contact dermatitis – it can cause a rash such as blister appearing on part of the body that came in contact. Rash from poison ivy, oak or sumac is very common.

Getting poison ivy

Most people that get a poison ivy rash do so when they go out in the woods without taking any possible preventable measures. Some others get it by coming in contact with pets that have come in contact with a poison ivy, even though the pets are not allergic themselves.

Luckily, poison ivy is not contagious and therefore cannot be passed on from one person to another.

The first signs of a rash taking hold may be as long as 2 days after exposure to poison ivy.

Symptoms of poison ivy

• Itchy skin – this is the most common symptom of poison ivy. I
• The rash can cause blisters and cause redness of the affected areas.
• Swelling of affected areas
• Some of the above symptoms may cause fever, shortness of breath (though mild form)

Preventing poison ivy

A poison ivy may take up to 15 minutes to bind to the skin, which leaves some time for people to take some steps that might prevent it from causing an allergic reaction resulting in a skin rash.

Other preventative measures that can be taken before heading into an area that may contain poison ivy would be clothing that provides a full coverage of your body.

Poison ivy treatment

There are several ways to treat poison ivy. If someone is only suffering a mild poison ivy rash, then it is possible to just allow the natural process of healing to take effect. In other words, there is no need to apply or take any treatment for the allergic reaction to the poison ivy.

However, you may want to consider wet compresses or gently soaking the effected areas with cold water or by using a wet cloth to gently rub away any hints of urushiol oil off the skin. You would also need to wash anything that might have got in contact with poison ivy such as your clothes, socks, shoes and anything else that might have come in contact.

If the rash from poison ivy is very severe, you will need to seek advice from your physician/doctor. Treating rash from poison ivy would require use of similar treatment for treating a normal case of rash such corticosteroid cream.

Remember, nearly all poison ivy cases subside within a week or two of first getting the symptoms.