Poison Ivy Determination And Methods To Get The Scratching And Pain To Stop

Poison ivy is usually found growing up trees on a heavy vine. Vines have many hairs hanging from them and on those vines are clusters of leaves in threes that are shaped like almonds. The color of the leaves vary from dark to light green and in the fall they turn scarlet and contrary to popular belief the leaves do not have thorns. Leaves are smooth and glossy. They carry urushiol, an oil that causes a horrible rash on the skin of some people.

The rash will simply drive you made with itching. It also is very painful. This rash can spread and even go inside the body through any opening like the mouth, nose, eyes and also through the genitals. If this happens it is a serious issue that must be taken care of immediately at an emergency center.

A rash on the skin is red and irritated and can have little bumps that may turn into blisters. These blisters can break open and a liquid can come forth. Although it is unlikely that the rash will spread by scratching the blisters it can cause another infection that will hurt even worse. It is advised that the individual avoid itching to the point of putting on some gloves to stop themselves. The reason you get a rash is because you are allergic to the oil. Not all people are allergic it and can stand in a patch of the plant without having any affect. Do not take the chance if you do not know if you are allergic or not.

The blisters can break and a fluid will be released so it is important not to scratch. The fluid can get under the finger nails and be taken other places on the body and start a secondary infection. Rashes start within 12 to 48 hours of exposure and can last from 1 to 4 weeks.

Poison Ivy does not have to be touched to get a rash. Never burn the plant either dead or alive because the oil travels through the air in the smoke and if it is inhaled it can get into the lungs and be fatal. A dog that runs in poison ivy can give it to its owner just by having them pet him while the oil is still on his fur. Be careful when cleaning dead vines from your yard ad poison ivy can harbor the harmful oil for almost 2 years after the vine has died.

Should you notice that you have touched a leaf of this plant you need to quickly, within 10 minutes wipe the area that was touched with some rubbing alcohol. Next use the garden hose and rinse the area. If you go inside to rinse be sure you use cold water as anything else will allow the oil causing the reaction to spread to a larger area. Avoid getting into a bathtub full of water because that will certainly spread the rash where you do not want it to go. Rinse to not soak the area.

Put gloves on and go inside and remove clothing and shoes. Get in the shower and wash with soap but not regular soap. Use dish washing liquid but only the kind that repels grease, not the kind with lotion in it. When you are done make sure to don gloves again and wipe everything you had on your body down and any tools you may have used with rubbing alcohol and water. The oil can stay on clothing and it will infect you next time you put them on or if you put them in the washing machine it can spread the oil to other clothes.

To treat the rash you can use an oral antihistamine and apply steroid cream. Often times a doctor will give you a shot of a steroid. A bath with 3 tablespoons of baking soda might stop the itching for awhile. Another old remedy is to make Old Fashion style oatmeal by boiling the oatmeal in water. Once it is cool apply it to the rash in a thick layer. This dries and as long as the air does not hit the rash it does not itch. This is a little messy because the oatmeal tends to flake off. You can cover it with gauze bandages loosely.

There are several other remedies like dabbing on some vinegar to the rash to draw the oils and infection from the skin. This will sting like the dickens but once it air dries you will find it feels much better. Covering the rash with honey is another messy method but this can also be wrapped with gauze. An unusual remedy is to take a banana out of the peel then place the part of peel that touched the banana against the affected skin to cool the inflammation. Prevention is the best thing to strive for where poison ivy is concerned. Do not touch it if you can help it and if you find you have sprint into action. If you see that the rash is especially severe, is near the eyes, nose, mouth or genitals or if the area swells badly you need to go to the emergency room immediately.

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