Camping and
Hiking Information
Plant
Rashes
How are
rashes from plants
treated?
Mild rashes may be treated with non-prescription preparations, but
hydrocortisone creams are usually ineffective. If the reaction is severe, your
doctor may prescribe a corticosteroid drug.
Click here for information about Dermik products which can
be used to treat plant rashes.
Poison ivy, oak,
and sumac are among the most common skin rashes seen in a physician's office.
Allergic reactions from these plants will affect millions of Americans every
year. These rashes are most commonly caused by contact with the plant's
colorless or yellowish oil, called urushiol (u-roo-she-ol). The plant oil is
released when the plant stem or leaves are cut or crushed. The plant oil is
invisible and sticky and may be carried on garden tools, on pet's fur, or in the
smoke of a burning plant.
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Poison Ivy; a climbing vine with three serrated-edge,
pointed leaves grows in the East, Midwest and South. In the northern and western states,
poison ivy grows as a non-climbing shrub. |
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Poison Oak; also has three leaves. It grows in
the sandy soil of the Southeast as a small shrub. In the western
United
States poison oak is a very large plant which grows
as a standing shrub or climbing vine.
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Poison Sumac; a shrub or bush with two
rows of 7 - 13 leaflets; most common in the peat bogs of the
Northern United
States and in swampy
Southern regions of the country. |
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Who is affected?
Researchers have found that 85%
of the population will develop an allergic reaction if exposed to poison ivy.
Sensitivity seems to develop over several exposures, usually during childhood,
and tends to decrease as individuals reach their thirties. About 10% of the
population will have severe reactions, and an equal number of people will not be
sensitive at all.
What are the symptoms of plant rashes?
The rash
can affect any part of the body but the commonly affected areas are the hands,
forearms and face. Once the plant oil touches the skin, it begins to penetrate
in a matter of minutes. The rash appears as a line within 12-48 hours after
exposure to the plant oil. Redness and swelling are followed by blisters and
severe itching; within a few days the blisters become crusted and scaly. The
rash will heal in about ten days.
How can I prevent plant rashes?
The most
common way to get a rash from a poisonous plant is to come in contact with the
plant oil. Once you have the rash it cannot be spread to other parts of your
body or to another person by touching the blisters or the fluid. The rash is
spread by the plant oil on the hands, for example, wiping the forehead with the
hand.
Learn to recognize and avoid the plant. If you find the plant
growing in your yard, use gloves to pull it up by the roots, and discard the
plant carefully, then discard or wash the gloves. When walking through wooded
areas, wear long pants and long sleeves.
Brushing up against the plant's
leaves seldom results in breaking out in a rash because the plant's oil is not
released unless the stem or leaf surface is broken. However, if you are exposed
to the plant oil, wash the affected area with cold water as soon as possible.
Carefully remove all exposed clothing and wash it. Wash off all camping and
sporting gear as well, if there is a chance that it has been
contaminated.
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