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**The Rashes of Summer**

Summer has arrived in our hemisphere and with it comes the blooming of plants including those certain leafy vines that can cause us much discomfort. 

I am referring to Poison Ivy, Poison Oak and Poison Sumac. 

These plants are all part of the Toxicodendron family of plants, and they all contain the oily resin called urushiol (u-ROO-she-ol).

The oil produced by these plants will cause a topical reaction to most individuals upon contact. 
It is made somewhat worse by the plants scratching your skin and the oil getting into your skin. This is what causes the characteristic straight lines of the rash.

The oil generally causes an irritating and uncomfortable rash but is rarely life threating.

**TREATMENT**

The best treatment, if you know that you have just had an exposure, is to wash the area immediately with soap and water. This is not usually very practical when you are working in your yard or wooded areas, but when working in these areas of high potential it is best to shower or bathe as soon as possible to remove the oil. Be aware of the possibility of oil remaining under your fingernails, so use a brush to clean under the nails.

The longer the oil is on the skin, the greater change of having a reaction to it. 
It is also very easy to spread the oil to other areas simply by direct contact with other parts of your body. 
The hands and forearms are the most affected by the oil and when you are working hard, you will generally wipe sweat off your brow and face and BAM, you have just spread the oil.

This is also the reason little boys will sometimes get the rash in their genital area because they tend to have a habit of peeing in the woods. This makes for a VERY uncomfortable reaction.

The bottom line is to get the oil off your skin as soon as possible.
If after you have washed, you still get the rash, then you need to do a few things.
First, clean any tools or gloves that you may have used with hot soapy water to remove the oil from them to avoid re-exposure the next time you use them.

Once the rash forms, I have found that Tea Tree Oil can be very helpful to fight the rash.

If that does not prove adequate, then an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream will be helpful when applied a few times a day.

Additionally, you will want to take an antihistamine (i.e.: Benadryl) to help combat the itching.

The average healing time for these rashes tends to be anywhere from 7-14 days depending on amount of exposure and your own reaction to the oil.

If you continue to be having issues after the above treatment, then it will probably warrant a visit to your healthcare provider for further treatment like steroid shots or pills.

There are several home remedies for poison ivy, but most of them do not work well. 

There are 2 treatments that I advise to avoid, they are using straight bleach on the rash and rubbing gasoline on the rash.

The bleach can cause a caustic burn to already damaged skin and the gasoline is not a good idea mostly because it is flammable.
 
**There are also several false notions about the rash that need to be noted.**

First, once the skin has been washed then you cannot spread it to another person by contact nor will it spread from scratching it.

 The rash will appear based on amount of contact to the oil. Skin with the heaviest exposure will break out first followed by areas of less exposure.

The fluid that comes from the rash is a plasma like fluid that is a byproduct of the reaction but will NOT cause the rash to spread.

**In conclusion**, 
if you are particularly susceptible to rash from poison ivy, I recommend that you learn how to identify the plant to try and avoid exposure, keeping in mind that even the leafless vine of the plant contains the oil.

**Have a GREAT Summer!**



Until next time,
John Novak PA-C



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