Good Poison Ivy Cures

There is a high possibility that 3 out 5 people who love the outdoors have already met an accident with poison ivy plants. These plants contain a compound called urushiol which causes an allergic reaction to form in the skin. This compound causes inflammation, rashes and blisters in the skin and if inhaled or eaten, damage to the internal organs and anaphylactic shock. These plants can grow everywhere and are not easily identifiable by the untrained eye in a sea of green. This makes poison ivy a great risk for people who love going out. It is wrong, however, to be totally afraid of going outdoors because of these plants. There are several ways to actually heal any injuries caused by these plants. This article will mention several poison ivy cures that are proven to be effective.

The only way to avoid poison ivy problems is prevention. It is important that one be informed of the characteristics and effects of poison ivy once encountered. Knowing its appearance is a good way to avoid problems. This way, you can steer clear of these plants when you explore the outdoors. It is also good to check your backyard and areas around your home where vegetation is lush for these plants. Your children and other family members might play or go there and meet an accident, and so knowing where these plants are will help you warn them and tell them of any dangers. Also, what you wear when you go out exploring is important. Wear long sleeved shirts, long pants and closed shoes to protect yourself.

One needs to treat the area of contact immediately as leaving the area untreated longer will worsen the manifestations of the allergy. It is wise to douse the area with alcohol, then with water. The plant spreads the urushiol through its natural oils and so washing the area of contact with soap and water prior to alcohol treatment could not be a good idea. Doing this may only worsen the situation as the oil might spread to other parts of the body because of the soap. A whole body bath must be taken to get rid of the urushiol oils that may have been left on the body surface. The person should also douse the objects he might have come into contact with with alcohol as these might still have the poison ivy’s oils. Other people might get the itch from touching these objects. The itch does not spread by touching the blisters or the rashes, however. It is perfectly safe, therefore, to assist a person who had an accident with poison ivy.

There are many commercially available poison ivy cures sold in the market today. Some come in the form of very convenient wipes and no-wash lotions, others are soaps and washes. Some lotions like calamine lotions soothe the itchiness and help make the rashes disappear. These treatments contain active ingredients that degrade the urushiol into less harmful components. This way, the discomfort from the itchiness, blisters and rashes can be eliminated immediately.