While poison ivy can grow in completely wild areas, it often thrives in places that have been disturbed by humans, such as along the sides of roads and trails, or on the edges of cleared or developed plots of land. Some reactions to poison ivy are relatively mild and can be treated at home using over-the-counter OTC medicines or home remedies to relieve discomfort. But in severe cases, you should seek medical treatment.
You can take steps to prevent a poison ivy reaction by wearing protective clothing if you think you might come in contact with the plant, and by properly cleaning your clothes and skin within 30 minutes of a potential exposure. An important step in limiting your exposure to poison ivy is, of course, knowing what it looks like. As for the color of its leaves, poison ivy can vary widely. But in some areas it grows as a bushy shrub, up to four feet tall.
One reason poison ivy thrives in areas that have been disturbed is that it prefers at least partial sunlight. If you inhale smoke containing the oil from poison ivy, symptoms may include irritation in your airway and lungs and difficulty breathing. Poison ivy contains an oily resin known as urushiol. This oily substance easily sticks to many different types of surfaces when it comes into contact with them, including skin, clothing, pet fur, and outdoor tools and equipment.
This reaction is known as allergic contact dermatitis. In addition to direct contact and touching contaminated items, you can also have a poison ivy reaction by breathing smoke from the plant if it's burned. This can harm your nasal passages and lungs, and can cause a severe reaction in some people.
Or you may have oil from the plant under your fingernails, or you've unknowingly touched a contaminated item. Poison ivy is diagnosed on the basis of symptoms — itching, redness, and bumps, blisters, or streaks on the skin. Knowing where someone was, what they were doing, and what they may have touched during the hours before the symptoms appeared can make diagnosis easier. Could poison ivy get even worse than it is already is?
Yes, it could. Thanks to a warming environment with more carbon dioxide CO 2 in the atmosphere, poison ivy plants are growing larger, and urushiol, the sap that causes the itchy rash, is becoming more potent. Poison ivy's range is also expanding north into Canada.
Because higher CO 2 levels favor vines over trees, giant poison ivy plants are climbing to the tops of forest canopies, killing trees and threatening whole forests.
A skin rash from poison ivy typically lasts one to three weeks, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. More severe skin reactions, or those covering larger areas of your body, may take longer to clear up. The most important first step in treating any reaction, according to Dr. Most rashes will clear up by themselves in a couple of weeks. When you visit your doctor, a visual assessment and your history of symptoms and exposure will be used to evaluate your condition. If your reaction is severe enough to require medical treatment, your doctor may prescribe an oral steroid, such as prednisone , to reduce inflammation.
Avoid areas where poison ivy thrives. Remove poison ivy from your property. In your own yard, you can get rid of poison ivy either by applying an herbicide or by pulling it out of the ground. If you decide to pull the plant out, be sure to wear heavy gloves and to remove the roots along with the plant. Afterward, carefully remove the gloves and wash them and your hands thoroughly.
For itching: add oatmeal to the bath; use calamine lotion on the skin but not on the face or on the genitals ; and, if needed, give your child the recommended dose of diphenhydramine Benadryl or a store brand. Make sure kids always wear long-sleeved shirts and pants whenever playing close to these plants.
Have kids wash their hands well after being outdoors. The rash, blisters, and itch normally disappear in several weeks without any treatment. Enter your email address to subscribe:. If you come into contact with poison ivy that is burning, you may inhale plant compounds. This can lead to irritation in the lungs, airways, and eyes.
However, you can transfer the oil to other parts of your body if urushiol remains on your hands. If these items are not properly washed, you can pick up the oil again later, causing another rash. If you begin experiencing breathing or swallowing difficulties after coming into contact with poison ivy, seek treatment right away.
This is an emergency situation that could become deadly without proper treatment. An allergic reaction occurs when the oil comes in contact with your skin. Knowing what to look for is only part of the equation when it comes to avoiding the rash. The key is to prevent contact. Prepare yourself before venturing into places where you might find the plant.
This means covering your skin before gardening or doing other outdoor activities. You should also wear eye protection while mowing. There are several varieties that protect your skin from absorbing urushiol. They usually contain an ingredient called bentoquatam. Apply it before going outdoors. Carefully clean items that have touched poison ivy to prevent exposure later. Gardening tools, sporting equipment, and camping supplies can all harbor urushiol.
A little prevention can go a long way. If you take precautions, you may never discover how uncomfortable the rash can be. Finding poison ivy is easy in the United States, where it grows virtually everywhere except for Alaska, Hawaii, and some desert areas of the Southwest.
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Summer is finally here. That means you will be spending more time gardening, hiking, walking, running, and camping.
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