Just thinking about poison ivy can make you itch. Blistering rashes on your arms and ankles, oozing bumps between your fingers and eyelid-swelling exposures are all-too-familiar summer hazards. Poison ivy lurks for kids, campers, hikers, gardeners and anyone else who ventures too close. Identifying and avoiding poison ivy — and its cousins, poison oak and poison sumac — is ideal. If you come into contact with these toxic plants, here’s what you need to know.
What does poison ivy look like? Three leaves is the consistent clue to poison ivy, says Diane Brown, an educator in consumer horticulture and commercial fruit with the Michigan State University Extension program. Otherwise, she says, poison ivy can be a bit of a “chameleon.”
Poison ivy leaves don’t all look the same. Some poison ivy leaves have “toothed” or wavy edges while others have smooth edges. Leaflets might be dull or shiny; hairy or hairless. Leaves start out green as they grow and turn reddish purple in fall. During the spring, poison ivy flowers and produces white berries that last into the winter.
Which part of the plant is poisonous? The toxic ingredient of poison ivy is an oily resin called urushiol. You get poison ivy rash by coming into contact with this oil.
Where does poison ivy grow? Poison ivy isn’t picky about location. It can grow in colonies along the ground, as a standing shrub or as a climbing vine. You can spot poison ivy on tree trunks by its aerial roots attached to the bark. Poison ivy gravitates to any bare, uncultivated soil, Brown says.
Where do you find poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac? Poison ivy is the most common of the three, Brown says, and it grows throughout many parts of the U.S. Poison oak is more often found out West, she says, while poison sumac tends to grow near swampy areas.
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How can you get rid of poison ivy? Don’t try to burn poison ivy. “The smoke will have oil in it,” Brown explains. “That can irritate your lungs, eyes and skin.” Homeowners can use herbicides to get rid of poison ivy when it’s small, she says, rather than trying to pull it out.
To avoid poison ivy, gardeners should take care to cover up with long pants, long sleeves and disposable gloves, Brown advises. Even so, she says, “Invariably, there’ll be a little gap in between my sleeve and my glove, and I still get poison ivy around my wrist.”
Are some people more sensitive to poison ivy? The medical term for poison ivy rash is allergic contact dermatitis. About 85 percent of people who come into contact with the oil develop a rash, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Anybody can develop sensitivity to poison ivy, and that sensitivity can change over time.
“Patients who are highly sensitive or have a hypersensitivity reaction to poison ivy can develop severe blistering or even anaphylaxis,” Dr. Seemal Desai, the medical director of Innovative Dermatology in Plano, Texas, said in an email. Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction. “I have seen cases of severe poison ivy that persist several weeks,” Desai adds. That’s because oils in poison ivy stimulate the immune system, he says, causing it to go haywire.
What are poison ivy symptoms? An itchy rash with redness and swelling is the main sign of an outbreak. Bumps often turn into poison ivy blisters. The rash may form an obvious pattern — like a circle around your ankle in the gap between your pants and socks. Other times the rash is diffuse, spreading at random.
How long does poison ivy last? Poison ivy lasts about one to three weeks. Rashes are usually self-limiting — they heal on their own. However, rashes can become infected, especially when scratching opens the skin. If blisters are oozing pus, if you develop a fever or the rash refuses to heal, those are signs of infection.
Is poison ivy contagious? “Poison ivy can be transmitted to one person from another,” says Desai, who is a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “The important part is to get the oils removed from the skin as soon as possible.” Oils tend to sit on the skin’s surface, he adds.
However, it’s a common misconception that fluid leaking from poison ivy blisters can spread the rash to other people. That’s not the case. Blisters do not contain poison ivy oil. Instead, blisters contain serous fluid formed by the body. The transparent, clear-colored or yellow fluid does not spread poison ivy.
On the other hand, coming into contact with clothing — yours or someone else’s — directly exposed to poison ivy oil can spread it. “You can also get it from pets, pruning tools, power cords dragged through poison ivy and so on,” Brown says. After gardening or any possible poison-ivy exposure, launder your clothes with strong detergent. Similarly, hose off garden tools, golf clubs and other outdoor objects as needed.
Can dogs get poison ivy? Dogs and other pets are not physically affected by poison ivy. However, by going outdoors and getting the oil on their fur, they can spread poison ivy to their owners and other people. Thoroughly rinse your exposed pet’s fur, leash and collar.
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How can you stop poison ivy from spreading? “The first-line treatment is topical steroids, skin-soothing agents and removal of the oils,” Desai says. He recommends washing exposed skin with cool water, not reusing towels and thorough hand-washing to avoid transmitting oil to other parts of the body.
What are home remedies for poison ivy? Oatmeal baths, also called colloidal oatmeal, can ease the itching. Use lukewarm bath water and add the oatmeal preparation. You can buy oatmeal bath products from brands like Aveeno, or make your own using uncooked whole oats and a blender. Soak for a few minutes, but not too long, because the skin can actually get drier and itchier. Short, cool showers may help, as well as cool compresses on the skin.
Which poison ivy medicine works best? Calamine lotion is frequently recommended as an over-the-counter product to treat poison-ivy itching. Topical hydrocortisone lotions or creams can limit mild skin reactions. Oral antihistamines like Benadryl help relieve itching.
If the rash is severe or these products don’t provide relief, your doctor may need to prescribe stronger medication. “Systemic steroids are often needed to calm down acute cases of poison ivy,” says Desai, who advises seeking out a board-certified dermatologist if possible to avoid long-term poison-ivy consequences.
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Is it OK to scratch poison ivy? It’s so tempting to scratch — but don’t. “I encourage patients to do their best possible not to scratch,” Desai says. “We know that chronic scratching [abrasions] can leave open wounds, and those wounds can sometimes get infected with bacteria or other organisms that live on the surface of the skin or in the environment.”
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Preventing and Treating Poison Ivy originally appeared on usnews.com
