Poison Ivy Identification And Ways To Get The Scratching And Pain To Stop
Poison Ivy is a vine that is usually found growing up trees in the woods. The vine looks raggy or hairy and from the vine grows leaves in clusters of three almond shaped leaves. These leaves are light to dark green and do not contain any thorns. They are usually smooth and shiny and turn red in the fall. The leaves produce an oil called urushiol which, if touched, can cause a nasty rash.
The oil of this plant can cause a rash that rivals no other. It causes an itch that never stops and it also hurts. Without attention this oil can spread everywhere and even invade the inside of the body through the nose, eyes, mouth and genitals. If this happens to you do not wait to try any home remedies. Just get to an emergency room immediately as the condition could turn fatal.
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 rash can start within a few hours. Most of the time it takes about 12 to 48 hours for it to show up but the itching will start prior to that. If you take quick action you may get away with having the rash for just one week. In most cases it lasts an agonizing three to four weeks.
You do not have to touch poison ivy to get a rash. If the plant is burned and the smoke inhaled it is possible for it to affect the lungs and this could cause death in some cases. If a pet brushes against it and you touch the pet it can be transferred to you. Touching dead poison ivy leaves can infect you because the urushiol can last for several years after the vine dies.
If you are pulling weeds and all of a sudden you see a poison ivy leaf swiftness is essential. Go quickly within 10 minutes and clean whatever part of the body you think touched the leaf with rubbing alcohol. Take the hose and hose down the area and always use cold water because warm or hot water will allow the harmful oil to spread. Never get in a bathtub of cold water because you will spread the oil to other parts of your body. Just rinse off the areas that were touched.
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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