A poison ivy, oak, or sumac rash looks like red spots or streaks. It forms within 24 to 72 hours after contact, depending on where the plant touched it. It usually peaks within a week, but can last up to 3 weeks. A poison ivy, oak, or sumac rash looks like patches or streaks of red, raised blisters.
The rash usually doesn't spread unless urushiol is still in contact with the skin.
Poison ivy
grows as vines or low shrubs in most climates. Each leaf of a poison ivy plant has three smaller leaflets. Touching any part of the poison ivy plant can cause redness and swelling of the skin, blisters and severe itching, sometimes hours after exposure.Brushing against a poison ivy plant can cause an itchy red rash. Often, the rash takes a linear shape (as in the upper left corner of the photo) because of the way the plant runs through the skin. Poison ivy rash is caused by an allergic reaction to an oily resin called urushiol (U-Roo-she-ol). This oily resin is found in the leaves, stems and roots of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.
Wash your skin immediately if you come into contact with this oil, unless you know you are not sensitive to it. Washing the oil may reduce your chances of getting a poison ivy rash. If you develop a rash, it can be very itchy and last for weeks. You can treat mild cases of poison ivy rash at home with soothing lotions and cold baths.
You may need prescription medication for a severe or generalized rash, especially if it's on the face or genitals. Poison ivy rash often appears in a straight line because of the way the plant rubs against the skin. But if you get a rash after touching a pet's clothing or hair that has urushiol, the rash may be more widespread. You can also transfer the oil to other parts of the body with your fingers.
The reaction usually develops 12 to 48 hours after exposure and lasts for two to three weeks. The pus that oozes out of the blisters does not contain urushiol and does not spread the rash. However, it is possible that someone will develop a poison ivy rash if you touch the plant resin that is still on the person or contaminated clothing. If a poison ivy rash is scratched, bacteria under the nails can cause the skin to become infected.
See your doctor if pus starts to come out of the blisters. Inhaling urushiol can cause severe difficulty breathing and swelling of the lining of the lungs. A rash from one of these poisonous plants usually manifests as itchy red bumps on the skin. Poison ivy is a common poisonous plant that causes itchy skin.
Other poisonous plants that cause rash include poison oak and poison sumac. These plants produce an oily sap called urushiol that causes an irritating and itchy allergic reaction. When you touch a poisonous plant or an object that has been in contact with a plant, you get an itchy rash. This rash is a form of allergic contact dermatitis.
The rash occurs only where vegetable oil has touched the skin, so a person with poison ivy can not spread it through the body by scratching. The rash may appear to be spreading if it appears over time instead of doing it all at once. But this is because vegetable oil is absorbed at different rates in different parts of the body or from repeated exposure to contaminated objects or vegetable oil trapped under the nails. Even if the blisters break, the fluid in the blisters is not vegetable oil, and it can't spread the rash any more.
The main symptom of poison ivy is a rash. This is also known as contact dermatitis. The rash may be mild or severe. May appear immediately or 1 to 2 days after contact.
It is characterized by redness and swelling. Small blisters may form, causing itching or pain. Try not to scratch the blisters. Bacteria found under the nails can get into the blisters and cause an infection.
A second type, known as oriental poison ivy, grows as a creeper creeping along the ground or clings to trees in the east, midwest and south. When hiking or participating in other activities that may expose you to these plants, try to stay on the clear trails. However, touching the vine can cause a rash because all parts of the poison ivy plant, from roots to leaves, contain urushiol oil, to which 50-70% of American adults are sensitive. People's reactions vary depending on genetics, skin sensitivity, and number of previous exposures, Hogan says.
Finding poison ivy is easy in the United States, where it grows practically everywhere except in Alaska, Hawaii, and some southwestern desert areas. If you think you have been in contact with poison ivy, wash your clothes quickly with warm soapy water, ideally in a washing machine. These symptoms of poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac can appear at any time, from a few hours to several days after exposure to the vegetable oil found in the sap of these poisonous plants. Some situations increase your risk of problems if you are exposed to poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac.
If you've never had a poison ivy, oak, or sumac rash, it may take 2 to 3 weeks before you see a rash. Poison ivy grows throughout North America, especially in wooded areas, and touching it can be itchy in most people. Poison ivy is native to all states except California, Alaska, and Hawaii, and can also be found in Central America, Mexico and Canada. If you touch poison ivy with a pair of pants or a shirt and don't wash it after contact, you could develop another rash if you touch clothes.
To be allergic to poison ivy, you must come into contact with the plant once for sensitization to oils to occur. The sap of the poison ivy plant, also known as Toxicodendron radicans, contains an oil called urushiol. . .
