What are the remedies for poison ivy?
A rash caused by coming into contact with poison ivy is not a pleasant experience. Caused by the skin's reaction to the chemical known as “urushiol” in the poison ivy plant, the red rash is often unbearably itchy, and can cause quite a lot of discomfort for the sufferer. The worst part is that you can't do anything to make it go away! There is no cure for a poison ivy rash, and it will remain there for an average of one to two weeks – more, if contact with the plant was prolonged and/or extreme.
As soon as you realize that you've come into contact with poison ivy, you need to try to wash off the harmful urushiol that will cause the rash if allowed. Even if your skin immediately starts to itch, resist the urge to scratch until you can wash. Touching at this point will pretty much guarantee you an unpleasant rash within a very short space of time, and once that appears, there's nothing you can do. Apply rubbing alcohol to the area, and then rinse with water. If you don't have access to rubbing alcohol, just rinse with water as best you can. Only then should you touch the skin – wash the area thoroughly with warm water and soap.
If you're fortunate, you'll have washed off the harmful urushiol before it has the chance to work its magic. If not, the dreaded posion ivy rash will appear. At this point, it's just a matter of waiting it out. The rash will go away by itself, eventually – and in the meantime, the only remedies you can seek are to ease the itching!
Unfortunately, there is no immediate “cure” for a posion ivy rash. In terms of remedies, all poison ivy sufferers can really try to do is 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.
Some people do have a more severe reaction to poison ivy than others, and these people will generally need to get a shot from a physician in order to control the allergic reaction. While a normal, milder reaction will be nothing more than a red rash with a number of itchy bumps on the skin, more serious reactions will result in blisters which tend to crack open and ooze fluids. These are a result of gaps in blood vessels, which leak fluid through the skin – the best remedy for this is to cool the skin, which causes the blood vessels to constrict, and therefore reduce the gaps for leaking. The blisters are simply an unpleasant effect – don't worry, the fluid that leaks from them isn't going to worsen your condition, or prolong or spread the rash. Incidentally, nor will scratching. If you do see the rash spreading, it just indicates that some parts of your skin received more of the urushiol, and so reacted more quickly than other areas.
In terms of dealing with the itch, you may have to experiment with a few over-the-counter remedies to see which one works best for you. Calamine lotion is a favorite, along with hydrocortisones. Alternatively, a popular home remedy is jewelweed, a very common weed found in damp areas. Crush the leaves, and apply them to your rash for relief from itching. Burow's solution compresses and Aveeno baths are also recommended.
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