Your doctor might prescribe antibiotics. Serious difficulty breathing and inflammation of the lining of the lungs may result from inhaling urushiol. Avoid the plants. Learn how to identify poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac in all seasons. When hiking or engaging in other activities that might expose you to these plants, try to stay on cleared pathways.
Wear socks, pants and long sleeves when outdoors. If camping, make sure you pitch your tent in an area free of these plants. Keep pets from running through wooded areas so that urushiol doesn't stick to their fur, which you then may touch.
Wash your skin or your pet's fur. Within 30 minutes after exposure to urushiol, use soap and water to gently wash off the harmful resin from your skin. Scrub under your fingernails too. Even washing after an hour or so can help reduce the severity of the rash.
If you think your pet may be contaminated with urushiol, put on some long rubber gloves and give your pet a bath. Clean contaminated objects. If you think you've come into contact with poison ivy, wash your clothing promptly in warm soapy water — ideally in a washing machine. Handle contaminated clothing carefully so that you don't transfer the urushiol to yourself, furniture, rugs or appliances. Also wash as soon as possible any other items that came in contact with the plant oil — such as outdoor gear, garden tools, jewelry, shoes and even shoelaces.
Urushiol can remain potent for years. So if you put away a contaminated jacket without washing it and take it out a year later, the oil on the jacket may still cause a rash.
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Overview Poison ivy rash Open pop-up dialog box Close. Poison ivy rash Brushing against a poison ivy plant can cause a red, itchy rash. Poison ivy rash on arm Open pop-up dialog box Close. Poison ivy rash on arm Brushing against a poison ivy plant can cause bumps and blisters. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Small blisters may form and become itchy or painful. Try not to scratch the blisters. Bacteria from under your fingernails can get into the blisters and cause an infection.
Poison ivy contains an oil called urushiol. Most people are allergic to it. This oil sticks to your skin when you come into contact with it. You can get the oil on your skin by:. A doctor can diagnose a poison ivy rash by reviewing your symptoms. You can prevent and avoid poison ivy most of the time. Look out for the plant any time you are outside. The poison ivy rash is not contagious. But you can spread poison ivy to another person if they touch the oil on you or your clothing.
Wash your skin right away if you come into contact with poison ivy or another toxic plant. Its oil can bond to your skin within minutes. Use soap and cool water. This can help remove the oil or prevent the oil from spreading. Products that contain certain cleansers, such as mineral oil, may help. Some over-the-counter medicines help relieve rash symptoms, such as pain and itching. These include:.
Most cases of poison ivy go away on their own in 1 to 3 weeks. After about a week, the blisters should start to dry up and the rash will begin to fade. Severe cases may last longer, have worse symptoms, and cover more of your body. This article was contributed by: familydoctor. This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone.
The rash only occurs on parts of the body that were actually exposed to the plant oil. Poison ivy rashes can appear to spread if urushiol oil is trapped under your fingernails and you scratch an itch. While you can't get a rash from coming from your spouse, you can get it from clothing or other items that have the plant oil on them.
For example, the clothes your spouse was wearing that came into contact with the poison ivy plant. Poison ivy oil can cling to garden tools or even pet fur. The oil from poison ivy is known to linger. According to the FDA, it can stick around on surfaces, sometimes for years, until it is washed away using water or rubbing alcohol. So be certain that all surfaces that are potentially contaminated are cleaned thoroughly to reduce your risk. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.
Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.
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