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Poison Ivy - Cause And Prevention

Being extremely allergic to poison ivy, I am accutely aware of all of its in's and outs. I have decided to share some of my knowledge so as to help others avoid it.

First off, poison ivy gains its venom from its sap, which contains chemical called urushiol. The oil sinks down through your first layer of skin to the dermis, and thats where the reaction takes place. Not everyone is allergic to the chemical, and not everyone who is allergic reacts as violently as the next.

Poison Ivy can only be contracted from the oil urushiol itself. It will only break out from sources that the oil touches. Thus it is a myth that it spreads over your body, or from person to person. It takes very little oil to cause a break out. The thicker your skin, the slower it is to pop up, thinner skin in turn causes a much faster break out, and often a worse break out. No one can look at their skin and tell if its thin or thick, I look to have thick callous skin, but in reality, it breaks out fast and furious so my skin is likely thin, that is, the outer layer is not very thick.

Poison Ivy can be contracted from the oils from another person, another plant, off your cloths or anything else you touch. The oils do not go dormant for days after words so you can catch it off anything you rub for days after the original contact. During certain parts of the growing season, the oils "pool" on the surface of the leaves and often times little droplets get into the air and travel short distances. This also will cause small amounts of oil to get on your skin and cause break out to those highly allergic.

Remember that the poison and reaction is in the oil and nothing else, thus even touching the rash will not spread it, that is also a myth. However, this leads to a good way to prevent it. It must simply be gotten off your skin before it soaks to the dermis. Soap and water is always a good choice. After being out in the woods, change cloths immediately, if not carefully, and get into the shower immediately! This is imperative so as to get as much of the oil off as possible. Leave no part of your body unwashed lest you have a break out.

There are several things you can use to help clean yourself before break out to both prevent and lessen the rash. A classic is lye soap which is rough and gets down deeper, getting more of the oil thats soaked in. Another is TECHNU® Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub, note the rights reserved, but it works great to reduce amount of reaction by scrubbing deep all over, doing this early is a must. Technu also makes an out door wash. This is to be carried by all those allergic to poison ivy at all times, it my save your skin literally! I have used it before, but this last time forgot it and paid the price. This little bottle is expensive, but works by rubbing it on your skin when you can't wash. It prevents the oils from soaking in and will either severely limit or prevent rash at all.

Last time for summer time hikers who are allergic, cover up! For goodness sake I know its hot outside, but if you will be near it, wear long pants and a long shirt, and drink plenty of water. Nothing is more uncomfortable that a bad break out, especially when your sweat is carrying the oils into every crevice of your body. For goodness sake cover up!

Prevention Cause Ivy Poison

While I am not allergic to poison ivy myself (Thank goodness) my mom was torn up with it a few years back. I had never heard such a detailed explanation as to what exactly caused poison ivy so thank you. As for something to help eliminate the rash or at least dry it out once you have already broken out is a baking soda bath. (Must be very hot) This is what my grandmother suggested to my mother and it seemed to dry it up and heal much faster then I have heard others speak of. I think she did this for about three days before it stopped bothering her completely. I am not sure if this would work for everyone or not but if all else fails it is worth a shot isn't it.