Leaves of three, let them be; berries be white, take flight! It’s your outdoor mantra to protect your skin from the extremely irritating poison ivy, oak, or sumac rashes. But, what are the causes of poison ivy and what are the best treatment options? You can typically treat poison ivy at home, but in severe cases it requires medical treatment. Though a poison ivy rash is not something you see every day, it still remains one of the common conditions we frequently treat at Vujevich Dermatology.
Three Causes of Poison Ivy
There are three causes to how poison ivy starts. These are direct contact, indirect contact, and airborne contact. Let’s dig a little deeper into each.
- Direct Contact is exactly as it sounds and is the most common way to contract the rash. This happens by touching poison ivy, oak, or sumac. Every part of the plant contains the oil.
- Indirect Contact occurs when you touch something that has urushiol oil on it. The oil sticks to most things, including a pet’s fur, gardening tools, and sports equipment.
- Airborne Contact occurs when the oil is spread through the air and lands on the skin. This can happen when poisonous leaves are burned.
What Does the Poison Ivy Rash Look Like?
Before a poison ivy rash develops, the skin will become extremely itchy, to the point it can awaken you while sleeping. Once this itching has started, the poison ivy rash initially appears as pinprick red dots that gradually worsen into bumps and sometimes blisters. Some people will develop black dots or streaks on their skin.
Once blisters have formed, they will eventually break open and leak fluid. Once these blisters rupture, they will crust over. Within three weeks of the crust forming, the rash will be healed.
The rash can occur within a few hours or within a few weeks following contact with a poison ivy plant depending on your previous exposure. If you’ve experienced a poison ivy rash in the past, you are more likely to develop a new rash within a few hours of contact. However, no matter how long it takes to develop a poison ivy rash, it will look the same.
As we stated earlier, poison ivy, oak, or sumac can typically be treated at home effectively. However, seek immediate medical treatment if you develop any of the following symptoms, as they could be life threatening:
- You have trouble breathing or swallowing.
- The rash covers most of your body.
- You have many blisters.
- You experience swelling, especially in the case of eyelids.
- The rash develops on your face or genitals.
- Much of your skin itches or nothing seems to ease the itch.
What Makes Poison Ivy Itchy?
Poison ivy rash is caused by urushiol oil. Eighty to 90 percent of people exposed to 50 micrograms of urushiol (that’s less than one grain of table salt!) develop a rash. But, some people see no reaction from contact with urushiol oil.
Sensitivity to urushiol oil can change over your lifetime. Children who developed the rash as a child may completely lose their sensitivity to the oil. Likewise, adults who never had the rash as a child may develop a sensitivity to the oil.
Is Poison Ivy Contagious?
No, poison ivy is not contagious. This is because urushiol absorbs too quickly into the skin. Nor can the rash be contracted by getting the fluid in the blisters on your skin.
However, urushiol can be carried on clothes, under your nails, and on other items that have come into contact with the plant. This is why it’s important to immediately wash all clothing and your body following contact with poison ivy.
Poison Ivy Rash Treatment
Most cases of poison ivy rash can be treated at home. If you have poison ivy on a small portion of your skin and are certain it is poison ivy, use the following treatment regimen:
- Immediately wash your skin with lukewarm, soapy water. This is the best way to prevent poison ivy, oak, or sumac from spreading to other areas of your body. If you can immediately wash your skin after contact with these poisonous plants, you may be able to wash off the oil.
- Wash your clothing that may have come into contact with the oil. Remember, urushiol oil sticks to clothing. If it touches your skin, it could cause another rash. Your clothing can also spread the rash to others.
- Wash everything that may have urushiol oil on its surface. Since the oil can stick to many surfaces besides clothing, be sure to wash any surface that may have come into contact with the leaves to prevent further rashes.
- Apply calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream to itchy skin. Over the counter treatments like calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream can ease the irritation from the rash.
- Apply cool compresses to itchy skin. Wet a clean washcloth with cold water and wring it out. Apply to irritated skin.
- Take short, lukewarm baths in a colloidal oatmeal preparation, available at your local drugstore. Or, add one cup of baking soda to your bath. Short, cool showers may also help ease irritation.
- Avoid scratching! Scratching only further irritates skin and can cause an infection, which can lead to scarring.
- Leave blisters alone. If blisters open, do not remove overlying skin as the skin can protect the raw wound and subsequently prevent infection.
- Take an antihistamine as needed. An over the counter antihistamine like diphenhydramine can ease the irritation. As with all over the counter medications, use with caution.
When Should You Seek Medical Attention for Poison Ivy?
If your rash does not improve after 7 to 10 days, you think your rash may be infected, or you are not certain what caused your rash, seek treatment from one of our board-certified Pittsburgh dermatologists. Our team at Vujevich Dermatology is committed to providing premier medical dermatology in the Pittsburgh area.
Vujevich Dermatology Associates offers medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology from some of the most highly trained physicians and clinicians in the greater Pittsburgh area. You can reach our team at 412-429-2570 or visit our contact page to see all of our locations. You can also follow us on Facebook to see what’s new in the world of dermatology.