Poison Ivy Treatment

What Causes the Rash

A poison ivy rash is an allergic reaction to an oil in the plant. The oil, urushiol, can spread to pets, tools, and camping equipment, so it's possible to get a rash without even touching the poison ivy. The oil washes off easily with soap and water, but until you've washed you can spread it from one place on your body to another, or even to another person. If you think you've been exposed but don't have access to soap, try using rubbing alcohol and then rinsing with water.

Cleaning off the oil within a few minutes of contact will help minimize the rash. Be sure to clean clothing and equipment, too. Once the rash has developed, it's time to think about poison ivy treatment.

Home Remedies to Try

For a mild rash, simple home remedies can provide relief. Try applying a washcloth soaked with cool water. Ice, wrapped in a towel and applied to the rash for a few minutes at a time, can also help, but use it only if the rash doesn't have blisters.

According to Intelihealth.com, a site sponsored by Aetna and reviewed by doctors at Harvard Medical School, you can find some things in the kitchen and the medicine cabinet that might help with poison ivy treatment:

• A cloth soaked in cool milk makes a soothing compress. It has to be whole milk, though, not skim, because it's the fat that helps.
• Milk of magnesia can be applied directly to the rash in a thin layer to help relieve the itch.

What's at the Drugstore

• Antihistamines like Benadryl can help with poison ivy treatment, although some doctors think it's not so much that they relieve the itch, as that they make you drowsy. If you're asleep, you won't notice that you're itching.
• Topical antihistamines (creams applied directly to the skin) aren't recommended. It's hard to tell how much medicine gets absorbed into the body, especially if the rash covers a large area. Plus, many people get a rash from antihistamine creams!
• Calamine lotion can help dry out an oozing rash and soothe the skin. Apply it to affected areas and allow it to dry. It will leave a pinkish coating on the skin.
• Lukewarm oatmeal baths provide relaxing comfort as well as relief for mild itching. But the oatmeal has to be specially prepared—the stuff you eat for breakfast won't do. Aveeno makes a colloidal oatmeal product specially designed for use in the tub. You may be able to find other brands and generic versions, too. Aveeno also makes lotions that might help.
• Topical corticosteroids are a very effective way to treat itchy rashes. Look for a medicine called hydrocortisone, sold over the counter. Brand names include Cortaid and Cortizone-10, or look for less expensive store brands. Be sure to follow the package directions, though, because corticosteroids can cause medical problems if they're used too often or in too large a dose. If the rash covers a large area of your body, check with your doctor before you use one of these products.

Poison Ivy Treatment at the Doctor's Office

If the rash is really driving you crazy and at-home treatments don't help, it's time to call the doctor. Your physician can prescribe stronger steroid creams. He or she can also give you a steroid shot, which will usually zap the itch and help the rash get better faster.

Don't be frustrated if your doctor refuses to write a prescription. Steroid medicines do have risks and side effects and aren't appropriate for everyone.

Poison Ivy Myths

Many people think that the rash of poison ivy is contagious and that it can spread. Actually, once you've washed your skin, you've removed the urushiol oil that caused the rash. The fluid in the blisters is just part of the allergic reaction. It doesn't contain any urushiol.

The reason people think the rash spreads is because it takes the skin a while to develop the full reaction to urushiol. The first rash will emerge over the course of a day or two; other areas may develop later, depending on when that part of the skin came in contact with the urushiol and how much oil there was.

It might seem that once the plant is dead, it can't cause a rash anymore. But urushiol remains even on dry, dead leaves. Don't be surprised if jumping in leaves or doing yardwork in the fall leads to a case of poison ivy!