Poison Ivy Rashes

Poison Ivy rashes are a huge source of discomfort, pain, blistering, itching and swelling; they appear after you have come in contact with the plant, and a toxin present in its resin, named Urushiol; this substance is also the responsible of producing poison sumac and poison oak rash.

You can avoid the rash completely, if you quickly notice you have come in contact with the resin and take immediate action to clean the area completely. Usually, this means you have 10 minutes to clean it. The truth, however, is that the vast majority of people don’t know they have touched the plant until a day or two, time in which the symptoms start to develop. Poison ivy can be difficult for the untrained eye to spot, since the plant can have different forms.

Poison ivy rashes appear at first as a simple skin irritation, with the accompanying redness and itching. As more days pass, the rash will proceed to the formation of blisters filled with a fluid; at this stage, the itching increases. Treatment, instead of looking for a complete cure (which doesn’t exist yet), aims for having more control over the symptoms, relieve blistering and itching and speed up the skin’s healing time. Drying up the blisters is also important to allow healthy skin to grow again, some people use measures such as applying heat to the blisters with a blow dryer; be extremely careful, as burning can worsen the condition and cause additional inflammation. Other remedy includes the use of baking soda and vinegar, rubbed on the affected areas to dry the skin and alleviate itching.

You can also use the help of over-the-counter medications to relieve the torture of poison ivy rashes. Cool water in the form of compresses or a bath is also a great weapon to help you get rid of the constant itching throughout the day. You can add to your bath two cups of oatmeal to add effectiveness to this natural poison ivy cure.

Be on the lookout for severe allergic symptoms, such as excessive swelling irritation or if the resin has come in contact with your mouth, eyes or nose. In these cases a doctor will prescribe you special medication to deal with your particular case; if left untreated you could suffer from damage.