#POISON IVY RASH TREATMENT HOW TO#
#POISON IVY RASH TREATMENT SKIN#

#POISON IVY RASH TREATMENT SKIN#

You want your skin to feel cool, but it shouldnвЂ™t turn soft, moist and whitish (called вЂњmacerationвЂќ).

Use cold compresses: Three to four times a day, cover the affected area with a damp towel for relief - but donвЂ™t get it too wet.

But if your rash has already developed, there are steps you can take to bring some relief in the meantime. вЂњPoison ivy just has to run its own course,вЂќ Dr. Unfortunately, the best natural remedy for poison ivy is time. вЂњIt binds to the resin and neutralizes it so that itвЂ™s no longer an allergen for you,вЂќ Dr. You can also try ZanfelВ®, a special wash that you apply after exposure to limit urushiolвЂ™s effect on your skin. You wonвЂ™t be able to get it all - after 10 minutes of washing your skin, only about 50% of the urushiol resin comes off - but you can lessen its impact. If you know youвЂ™ve come into contact with poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac, take a shower to wash off the resin. While working in the backyard, you pulled out some unwanted weeds before realizing that one of them was poison ivy. What to do if youвЂ™ve been exposed to poison ivy вЂњPeople can break out after contact with the resin on their gardening tools, their clothing, or their dogs,вЂќ Dr. If you touch a poison ivy plant with your hands, for example, and then touch your face or body, youвЂ™ll see a rash at both the original point of contact and the places youвЂ™ve touched.ДЄnd you donвЂ™t necessarily have to make contact with the plant itself in order to make contact with the resin. Poison ivy rash is easily spread - on your body and even from pets to humans. Ng says, вЂњso if itвЂ™s the first time your body has ever seen it, itвЂ™s going to take a while for the rash to appear.вЂќДЄdvertising Policy Just how contagious is poison ivy? вЂњYour immune system has to develop an allergic reaction first,вЂќ Dr.

But if itвЂ™s your first time being exposed to the plant, it can take up to two weeks for a rash to appear. If youвЂ™ve been exposed to urushiol in the past and are re-exposed again, your rash will appear in four to 96 hours (though 24 to 48 hours is most common). вЂњIt can even be weeping and crusting,вЂќ Dr. Poison ivy rash (along with the rash from poison oak and poison sumac) brings on bumps, blotches and, typically, a linear streak of swelling and blisters.

#POISON IVY RASH TREATMENT HOW TO#

Ng talks about how to treat your poison ivy rash at home and what to expect as it heals. вЂњYouвЂ™ll get this rash everywhere the resin touches - and then, if you get it on your hands and touch your face or other parts of your body, youвЂ™ll spread it.вЂќДr. вЂњWhen the plant is broken, the resin leaks out,вЂќ explains dermatologist Pamela Ng, MD.

An estimated 50% to 75% of the population is allergic to urushiol, which is found in every part of the plant, including the fruit, leaves, stem, and root. Poison ivy strikes again - or maybe itвЂ™s poison oak or poison sumac, as all three plants contain the same oily, allergy-inducing sap called urushiol. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.

Poison ivy rash treatment