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Overview

It starts innocently enough. You chop down a scraggly shrub while trimming your lawn. Then, your arms and legs start tingling and turn red. Before you know it, there’s an itchy rash. Much too late you realize that shrub was actually poison ivy.

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. It also grows in parts of Canada, Mexico, and Asia.

It’s easy to identify by its clusters of three pointed leaves. In the spring, the leaves can have a reddish tint. They turn green in summer and various shades of red, yellow, or orange in the fall.

Poison ivy produces an oil called urushiol that causes a rash in about 85 percent of people who come in contact with it, notes the American Academy of Dermatology.

The rash isn’t contagious to others. This is because it’s a skin reaction to the oil. However, the oil itself can spread to others.

Urushiol is tenacious. It’ll stick to almost anything: your clothes and shoes, camping and gardening equipment, even your pets’ or horses’ coats.

It can transfer to and from your hands to your cell phone or any object you touch and spread to others. And it’s in virtually every part of the plant: leaves, stems, even the roots. Brushing against a winter-bared vine can still cause the rash.

Read on for some ways to prevent getting a poison ivy rash.

If you know you’re heading into a poison ivy stronghold, prepare by covering as much of your skin as possible. Good frontline defenses include:

  • long-sleeved shirts
  • pants, which can be tucked into socks if needed
  • hats
  • heavy-duty rubber gloves
  • socks
  • closed-toe shoes

Rinsing your skin with lukewarm, soapy water or rubbing alcohol within about an hour of touching poison ivy can remove the urushiol and help you avoid a rash — or at least make it less severe.

You’ll also need to wash anything else that’s come into contact with the plant. Urushiol can remain potent for years. Skipping the cleanup could lead to another rash later.

Some people swear that dishwashing liquid can help wash the oil from your skin. Other specialty washes include products by brands such as Burt’s Bees, Ivarest, and Tecnu.

If a preventive measure is what you’re after, over-the-counter (OTC) creams can delay urushiol from penetrating the skin. You can get IvyX and other barrier creams from your local drugstore or online.

The cream needs to be thickly applied all over your skin less than an hour before you expect to be exposed to a poison ivy plant. If you’re exposed, you must wash all the cream off within four hours of the exposure to keep your skin from absorbing the urushiol.

If you do develop a poison ivy rash, expect it to take one to three weeks to clear up. Wash well with soap and lukewarm water to get any residual oil off the skin as soon as you can.

Once the rash develops, water can be soothing and help ease itching and burning. Soaking in cool-water baths containing an oatmeal-based product such as one by Aveeno should provide relief, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Also, placing a cool, wet compress on the rash for 15 to 30 minutes several times a day should help.

OTC cortisone creams and calamine lotion can help ease some of the itchiness of a poison ivy rash. Follow the label directions when applying. Make sure to wash and dry the area before reapplying.

Other products that may help with itching include:

  • aloe vera gel
  • a 3-to-1 ratio of baking soda to water paste applied to the skin
  • cucumber slices placed on the rash

You can also mash up cucumber into a paste and apply to the rash to soothe your skin.

OTC antihistamines such as loratadine (Claritin) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can help ease your itching and inflammation, too. Benadryl has the added benefit of making some people sleepy. This could help boost your comfort at bedtime.

There are numerous other OTC antihistamines. Talk to your pharmacist for advice on choices.

Don’t apply an antihistamine cream to your rash, though. It can actually make the itching worse.

Applying rubbing alcohol to a rash can help dry it up and prevent infection. Some other home remedies that act as astringents and can dry up a poison ivy rash include:

  • witch hazel
  • apple cider vinegar
  • a paste of baking soda and water

If your rash is widespread, on your face or genitals, or has caused lots of blisters, call your doctor. They’ll be able to prescribe a steroid, such as prednisone, to help ease the itching and inflammation.

Depending on your condition and your doctor’s preference, you may be given steroid pills, a shot, or topical preparations such as gels, ointments, or creams.

Sometimes if you scratch your skin or your blisters break open, you can develop a bacterial infection. Your doctor can give you a prescription antibiotic if that happens. The prescription may be for pills, a cream, or both.

If you have any of the following symptoms, head to the emergency room or urgent care center: