Poison Ivy Rash? How To Spot Poison Ivy?

What is poison ivy rash?

poison ivy rashhow can you spot poison ivy? Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac are the most common causes of allergic reactions such as poison ivy rash in the United States. Each year 10 to 20 million Americans develop an allergic poison ivy rash after contact with these poisonous plants, unless protected by clothing or a barrier skin lotion which is formulated to specifically prevent poison ivy rash. Poison ivy , oak and sumac that leads poison ivy rash grow almost everywhere in the United States except Hawaii, Alaska and some desert areas in the western United States. Poison ivy which causes poison ivy rash usually grows east of the Rocky Mountains and in Canada. Poison oak grows in the western United States, Canada, Mexico (western poison oak) and in the southeastern states (eastern poison oak). Poison sumac grows in the eastern states and southern Canada.

A Poison Ivy Rash from Poison Ivy Plant

Poison ivy rash is an allergic contact dermatitis caused by contact with oil called urushiol. Urushiol is found in the sap of poisonous plants like poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. It is a colorless or pale yellow oil that oozes from any cut that causes poison ivy rash or crushed part of the plant including the roots, stems and leaves. After exposure to air, urushiol turns brownish-black that leads poison ivy rash. Damaged leaves look like they have spots of black enamel paint making it easier to recognize and identify the plant, poison ivy rash. Contact with urushiol that causes poison ivy rash can occur in three ways:

Poison ivy rash due to direct contact — touching the sap of the toxic plant.

Poison ivy rash due to indirect contact — touching something on which urushiol is present. The oil can stick to the fur of animals or to garden tools, sports equipment and any other objects that have come into contact with it.

Poison ivy rash due to airborne contact — burning poison plants put urushiol particles into the air.

When urushiol gets on the skin, it begins to penetrate in minutes and it causes poison ivy rash. A reaction as poison ivy rash appears usually within 12 to 48 hours.In poison ivy rash, there is severe itching, redness and swelling followed by poison ivy rash blisters. The poison ivy rash is often arranged in streaks or lines where the person brushed against the plant. In a few days, the poison ivy rash blisters become crusted and poison ivy rash take 10 days or longer to heal.

Poison plant dermatitis can affect almost any part of the body. The poison ivy rash does not spread by touching it, although poison ivy rash may seem to when poison ivy rash breaks out in new areas. This may happen because urushiol absorbs more slowly into skin that is thicker such as on the forearms, legs, and trunk.

Learn More About Poison Ivy – Other Resources

Who is sensitive to poison ivy rash and who is not?

Sensitivity develops after the first direct skin contact with urushiol oil. An allergic reaction like poison ivy rash seldom occurs on the first exposure. A second encounter can produce a reaction which may be severe. About 85 percent of all people will develop an allergic reaction such as poison ivy rash when adequately exposed to poison ivy. This sensitivity varies from person to person. People who reach adulthood without becoming sensitive have only a 50 percent chance of developing an allergy to poison ivy. However, only about 15 percent of people seem to be resistant.

Sensitivity to poison ivy tends to decline with age. Children who have reacted to poison ivy will probably find that their sensitivity decreases by young adulthood without repeated exposure. People who were once allergic to poison ivy may even lose their sensitivity later in life.

Recognizing Poison Plants

Identifying the poison ivy plant that causes poison ivy rash is the first step in avoiding the poison ivy rash. The popular saying “leaves of three, beware of me” is a good rule of thumb for poison ivy and poison oak but is only partly correct. A more exact saying would be “leaflets of three, beware of me” because each leaf has three leaflets. Poison sumac, however, has a row of paired leaves. The middle or end leaf is on a longer stalk than the other two or more leaves. This differs from most other three-leaf look-alikes.

Poison ivy that causes poison ivy rash has different forms. It grows as vines or low shrubs. Poison oak, with its oak-like leaves, is a low shrub in the East and can be a low or high shrub in the West. Poison sumac is a tall shrub or small tree. The plants also differ in where they grow but all causes poison ivy rash. Poison ivy grows in fertile, well-drained soil. Western poison oak needs a great deal of water, and eastern poison oak prefers sandy soil but sometimes grows near lakes. Poison sumac tends to grow in standing water such as peat bogs.

These plants that causes poison ivy rash are common in the spring and summer. When they grow, there is plenty of sap that causes poison ivy rash and the plants bruise easily. The leaves may have black marks where they have been injured. Although poison ivy rash is usually a summer complaint, poison ivy rash cases may occur in winter when people burn wood that has urushiol on it or cut poison ivy vines for wreaths.

It is important to recognize these toxic plants which causes poison ivy rash in all seasons. In the early fall, the leaves can turn colors such as yellow or red when other plants are still green. The berry-like fruit on the mature female plants also changes color in fall – from green to off-white. In the winter, the poison ivy rashplants lose their leaves. In the spring, poison ivy has yellow-green flowers, dark spot that turns into blisters like poison.

The All Stop Complete Triple Action Individual Pack is everything you need to relieve the itch, treat your skin and the items in your environment that may have Urushiol Oil left on it. This is the complete pack to eliminate the itch, stop the spreading of the rash and prevent re-contamination of Poison Ivy from your gear.