It's called urushiol pronounced: yoo-ROO-shee-ol , a colorless, odorless oil called resin found in their leaves. Urushiol is considered an allergen because it causes an allergic reaction. The poison ivy reaction takes the form of a rash, itching, and sometimes swelling. Not everyone gets a reaction to urushiol, but most people do. This reaction can start within hours of coming into contact with urushiol or up to 5 days later.
Typically, the skin becomes red, itchy, and swollen and blisters will appear. After a few days, the blisters may become crusty and start to flake off. The rash that people get from poison ivy can take 2 to 3 weeks to heal. It's a good idea to call your doctor if you have any kind of rash, especially if you have a fever too.
You may notice, however, that the rash develops over the course of several days. Poison ivy rashes can grow slowly, which may give the appearance of spreading. But a rash will only occur on areas of the skin that came into contact with the urushiol oil. Learn more about what these objects could be and what you can do to avoid sharing the oil with yourself or others again. About 85 percent of Americans are allergic to poison ivy. These people will experience mild, but irritating, symptoms, such as a red rash, itching, and swelling.
Of those who are allergic, about 10 to 15 percent will have a severe reaction. They may develop fluid-filled blisters that become infected.
Infants and toddlers can also develop a poison ivy rash. It may take several hours or days for the rash to fully develop. In severe cases, the child may also develop blisters. Instead, try learning what poison ivy looks like. This way you can work to avoid contact. As with many other perennial plants, poison ivy changes with the seasons. The leaves of the poison ivy plant are green in the summer, but can turn red, orange, or yellow in the spring and fall.
The plant may flower with greenish-yellow blossoms and produce small, green berries that turn white in the fall. Unfortunately, poison ivy can spread urushiol to skin in all seasons. Older poison ivy shrubs or vines develop thin, hair-like roots above ground. These are the aerial roots, and they help identify the plant when the leaves have all fallen away for winter. Poison ivy is native to every state except California, Alaska, and Hawaii and can be found in Central America, Mexico, and Canada as well.
The most commonly found type of poison ivy is known as western poison ivy. This type can grow to be anywhere from 6 to 30 inches tall. A second type, known as eastern poison ivy, grows as a trailing vine along the ground or clinging to trees in the East, Midwest, and South.
For both western and eastern poison ivy, the leaves are made up of three-pointed leaf clusters that have a glossy surface. The edge of the leaflets can be toothed or smooth. Typical home remedies, including colloid oatmeal baths and topical anti-itch medicines are safe for pregnant women to use. If you have any serious reactions during pregnancy, seek treatment right away and consult with your obstetrician as well.
Most Americans are allergic to poison ivy. More than 4 in 5 people will develop an itchy, red, swollen skin rash when they come into contact with poison ivy and its urushiol oil. Of the people who are allergic to poison ivy, a smaller group are hypersensitive to the plant. These individuals are more likely to develop a severe reaction.
About 10 to 15 percent of people with an allergy to poison ivy fall into this severe category. People with a severe poison ivy allergy should see their doctor as soon as a rash begins to develop. Treatments, including corticosteroids and antibiotics, may help reduce the severity of symptoms.
A poison ivy rash is bothersome. The itching and swelling can be irritating. Wear protective clothing. Depending on your activity, it can help to wear long pants tucked into boots, as well as long sleeves tucked into protective gloves. Wash clothing and objects after potential contact.
Be sure to remove your clothing carefully — without letting it touch furniture, rugs, or appliances — and wash it promptly in a washing machine. Wash boots and shoes using detergent and water. Remember to wear long dishwashing gloves while washing or handling any potentially exposed item. Wash your skin after known or potential contact. Even if your skin touches poison ivy, you can still prevent or limit an allergic reaction by cleaning it with soap and water as quickly as possible.
Even after an hour, you can limit the severity or any reaction by washing. Teach your family and friends to recognize the plant. That way you can all look out for each other when spending time outdoors. Mind your pets. Try not to let your pet wander into areas where poison ivy may grow.
If you think your pet may have been exposed, give the animal a bath using an appropriate shampoo while wearing rubber or vinyl gloves. Not only are they not allergic to the plant, but goats will help clear poison ivy from certain areas by eating it. The most troublesome problem to look out for is swelling, especially if your face swells or your eyes swell shut. This can result in lasting or serious damage. Bacteria under your fingernails are often the source of this infection, which may need to be treated with antibiotics.
Usually, the only lasting effects of a poison ivy reaction are cosmetic — and even these tend to fade away eventually. But more commonly, he says, a rash will leave behind a red or brown stain. As many as 50 million Americans have a poison ivy reaction each year, making it the most common allergy in the United States, according to the American Skin Association.
Poison oak and poison sumac contain the same chemical, urushiol, as poison ivy, so they can cause the same allergic reaction and the same itchy skin and blisters. Several other common plants can irritate your skin, although some of them cause only temporary stinging or burning, while others provoke a more serious, longer-lasting reaction. Heading out for a hike or some yard work? Check this site first to make sure you can identify poison ivy and poison oak.
If you think you might have touched poison ivy or already have a rash, check out The Rash. Visit the Hall of Fame , containing photos of some of the worst poison ivy rashes ever, at your own peril. People who spend a lot of time outside, such as hunters, landscapers, and outdoor recreationists, tend to know a lot about poison ivy, often from personal experience.
Hint: Time is of the essence. Come for the straight talk on poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac; stay for the additional warnings on — and locator map for — giant hogweed, poison hemlock, cow parsnip, wild parsnip, poodle-dog bush, and nettle.
Family Doctor. Mayo Clinic. As usual, the Mayo Clinic offers just the facts, with a helpful list of home remedies for cooling down a rash and easing the itching. The rash from poison ivy can start within hours of contact or as much as 5 days later. It may take 2 to 3 weeks to heal.
For nighttime help: If your doctor recommends it, give your child an over-the-counter oral antihistamine Benadryl or a store brand. This might not stop itching, but it can make your child drowsy and better able to ignore nighttime itching. Call your doctor if your child has any kind of rash, especially with a fever.
But get medical care if the skin looks infected with increasing redness, warmth, pain, swelling or pus or the rash:. For more severe cases, doctors sometimes prescribe pills or creams with steroids not the same type of steroids that bodybuilders use to decrease itching and redness. If the skin looks infected, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics. The poison ivy rash itself isn't contagious. Fluid from a blister can't spread the rash.
But it is possible to get a rash from poison ivy without touching a plant.
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