sábado, 14 de abril de 2012

Poison ivy: Tips for treating and preventing | AAD

Poison ivy: Tips for treating and preventing | AAD


American Academy of Dermatology


Poison ivy: Tips for treating and preventing

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Treating a rash from poison ivy, oak, or sumac

For a mild rash, you can often ease your discomfort by doing one or more of the following:
  • Apply hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to the rash.
  • Take antihistamine pills.
  • Place cool cloths on your skin.
  • Take cool showers.
  • Take a lukewarm bath. Adding an oatmeal bath or baking soda to the water can help calm your skin.
  • Try not to scratch.
Scratching can cause an infection. Because the rash can be very itchy, dermatologists recommend keeping your skin and fingernails clean. This can help prevent an infection.

Everyone who gets a rash from one of these poisonous plants should:

  • Wash the clothing and shoes you wore when you touched the plant. To remove the oil, you should wash these in hot sudsy water. If the oil is not washed off, the oil can stay active for a long time.
  • Wash everything else that might have touched the plants. Did any garden tools, sports equipment, or other objects touch the plant? If so, wash the objects with rubbing alcohol or a mix of water and bleach.

Preventing a rash from poison ivy, oak, or sumac

You can prevent a rash by staying away from the plants. If this is not possible, be sure to follow these tips:
  • Use a skin care product that helps prevent the skin from absorbing the oil (urushiol) that causes the rash. These products usually contain bentoquatam. You can buy these products without a prescription. Be sure to apply this before going outdoors.
  • Wear long pants, long sleeves, boots, and gloves when around these plants. Even when you apply a product that contains bentoquatam, you should protect your skin with clothing.
If you do touch one of these plants, you may prevent a rash by:
  • Washing your skin well. Use lukewarm water and soap as soon as you think you’ve touched a plant.
  • Washing all clothing and everything else that may have the oil on it. Urushiol can cause a rash even when it is not on the plant. It remains active for a long time.

How to recognize poison ivy, oak, and sumac

The saying, “Leaves of three, beware of me,” is meant to help you spot poison ivy and oak. But the saying really should be “leaflets of three, beware of me.” That's because each leaf on poison ivy and oak has 3 smaller leaflets. The middle leaflet has a longer stalk than the 2 leaflets on either side.
The leaves of poison ivy and poison oak turn colors in the fall.
What poison ivy looks like
  • Each leaf has 3 small leaflets.
  • It grows as a shrub (low woody plant) in the far Northern and Western United States, Canada, and around the Great Lakes.
  • It grows as a vine in the East, Midwest, and South of the United States.
  • In spring, it grows yellow-green flowers.
  • It may have green berries that turn off-white in early fall.

                poison ivy Poison ivy. This plant grows as a vine (pictured) in some areas of the United States. In other areas, it is a shrub.

What poison oak looks like
  • Each leaf has 3 small leaflets.
  • It most often grows as a shrub.
  • It can grow as a vine in the Western United States.
  • It may have yellow-white berries.
                poison oak Poison oak. This plant grows as a vine (pictured) in some areas of the United States. In other regions, it grows as a shrub.

What poison sumac looks like
  • Each leaf has a row of paired leaflets and another leaflet at the end.
  • It grows as a tall shrub or small tree.
  • In the Northeast and Midwest, it grows in standing water in peat bogs.
  • In the Southeast, it grows in swampy areas.
  • Often the leaves have spots that look like blotches of black paint. These spots are urushiol, which when exposed to air turn brownish black. Before urushiol hits the air, it is clear or a pale yellow.
  • It may have yellow-white berries.
                 Poison sumac. This plant has 7 to 13 leaflets on each leaf. It grows in standing water as a tall shrub or small tree.

Learn more about poison ivy, oak and sumac:
Images used with permission of the American Academy of Dermatology National Library of Dermatologic Teaching Slides.

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