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What Is, And What Causes,
Poison Ivy Rash?
Poison ivy, oak and sumac
plants are the single most common cause of allergic skin reactions
in the United States. They are caused by contact with urushiol
(you-ROO-shee-ol), which is found in the sap of the plants. It is a
colorless or pale yellow oil that oozes from any cut or crushed part
of the plant, including the roots, stems and leaves. The oil is
active year round.
Contact with urushiol can occur
in three ways: direct, indirect and airborne particles. Direct
contact is touching the sap of the toxic plant, while indirect
contact involves touching something which has urushiol on it, such
as the animal fur, clothes, boots, garden tools, sporting or camping
gear or any items that have come in contact with the plant
(including your hands). Airborne urushiol particles, such as burning
plants or spray from a weed whacker, may also contact the skin or be
inhaled, causing internal inflammation.
The rash caused by urushiol can
affect almost any part of the body, especially where the skin is
thin, such as the face. The rash does not spread, although it may
seem to when it breaks out in new areas. Actually, what happens is
the urushiol absorbs more slowly into thicker skin, such as found on
the forearms, legs and trunk.
IvyBlock is the only lotion
that can help prevent poison ivy, oak or sumac rash. No other
product can make that claim. IvyBlock is the only product approved
by the FDA to prevent the rash caused by poison ivy, oak and sumac.
Who Gets A Rash From Poison
Ivy, Oak or Sumac?
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Each year 10 to 50 million
Americans develop an allergic reaction to poison ivy, oak and
sumac. Up to 95% of people exposed to urushiol will have an
allergic reaction at some point in their life.
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As a group, poison ivy, oak
and sumac are the most common cause of allergic rashes in the
United States.
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In many areas of the
country, poison ivy, oak and sumac are the second leading cause
of occupational dermatitis for outdoor workers according to the
Centers for Disease Control.
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Poison oak is responsible
for more than 50% of worker’s compensation cases in California
alone.
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In California, Oregon and
Washington, approximately one-third of United States Forest
Service firefighters are forced to leave during a fire because
of rashes caused by poison oak.
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According to the National
Safety Council, other outdoor occupations severely impacted by
poison ivy, oak and sumac include surveyors, park and highway
maintenance workers, utility workers and farmers.
Where And When Are Poison
Ivy, Oak and Sumac Plants Found?
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Poison ivy, oak and sumac
grow almost everywhere in the United States, except Hawaii,
Alaska and desert areas.
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Poison ivy usually grows
east of the Rocky Mountains and in Canada.
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Poison oak grows in the
Western and Southeastern United States, Canada and Mexico.
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Poison sumac grows in the
eastern states and Southern Canada.
How Do Poison Ivy, Oak and
Sumac Plants Appear?
Poison ivy usually grows as a vine, twining on tree trunks or
straggling over the ground, while poison oak and sumac are both
shrubs.
In the early fall, poison ivy leaves can turn colors such as yellow
or red when other plants are still green. The berry-like fruit on
the mature female plants also changes color in fall, from green to
off-white, and in the winter the plants lose their leaves. In the
spring, poison ivy has yellow-green flowers.
While poison ivy has three leaves per cluster, poison oak has five
leaves, and sumac has seven to thirteen leaves on a branch.
Why Do You Need To Be
Careful?
Once urushiol touches the skin,
it begins to penetrate in as little as 10 minutes. In those who are
sensitive, a reaction appears usually within 12 to 48 hours.
The rash, which takes 10 days
or longer to heal, can affect almost any part of the body,
especially where skin is thin, such as the face.
A person cannot receive a rash
upon their first exposure to poison ivy. The first contact, which
can occur without a person knowing, may create hypersensitivity to
the allergen without causing a rash. Therefore, if a person has been
around poison ivy before and has not contracted a rash, that does
not mean he or she will be immune later.
Exposure to burning poison ivy
is dangerous two ways: it can cause a skin rash, and since urushiol
oil droplets can stick to dust or smoke particles and be carried in
the wind, a sensitive person can also develop a severe internal
inflammation from inhaling the oil. |
