How do I prevent a rash from poison ivy?
Poison ivy causes a rash on the skin of most people who come into contact with it. This is because of an oil called urushiol, present in poison ivy leaves, which results in an allergic reaction for about 85% of people (known as urushiol-induced contact dermatitis). The effects of this reaction vary in severity, but the most common initial response is a red rash that is often unbearably itchy. Later, blisters can develop, and in more serious cases the reaction can progress to anaphylaxis.
Unfortunately, there is no real immediate “cure” for a posion ivy rash. In terms of remedies, all poison ivy sufferers can really try to do for it is to find something that will provide relief from the itching. Once the rash appears, you're going to be stuck with it until the urishiol has taken its course. That's why the best kind of treatment for poison ivy is prevention – many people are unaware that coming into contact with poison ivy doesn't immediately resign them to getting the rash. In fact, if you respond quickly and carefully enough, you can actually stop the urishiol before it has time to attack your skin.
As soon as you become aware that your skin has touched a poison ivy plant, the most important thing to do is stop the urishiol from binding to the skin. Once it does this, you're stuck with it, and the rash will soon appear. But did you realise that very often it's the person, not the ivy, that causes this to happen? A natural, instinctive reaction on coming into contact with poison ivy is to touch the affected patch of skin – either to scratch it, or to try to somehow brush away the harmful oil of the plant. We don't think about it. If we did, we'd realize that this is actually what causes the reaction to advance! When you rub or scratch, the urushiol goes from resting on the skin's surface to being “rubbed in” by your well-meaning fingers. There's nothing you can really do once that happens – the urushiol will bind to your skin, and the rash will appear.
So instead, the best advice is to resist all your natural instincts, and do not touch the area of skin that has just come into contact with poison ivy. As soon to 'immediately' as possible, apply rubbing alcohol to the skin, and then rinse with water. Try to do all of this without touching. Once you're disinfected and rinsed, follow up by washing properly with soap and warm water. If you reacted quickly enough, then you should have removed the urishiol before it had a chance to get to work.
Contrary to popular opinion, if the rash has already appeared and you can't refrain from scratching, your scratching won't actually spread the rash. If new parts keep appearing, that's just because that area of your skin was also touched by the poison ivy, but perhaps to a lesser degree, and the urushiol already there has just taken longer to have any effect. You can only prevent the rash if you refrain from touching and wash off the urushiol before any symptoms start to appear. If you don't manage this, then you've just got to find some remedies to provide relief from the itching, and grin and bear it...
Return to Poison Ivy Guide Home Page