What is the Best Poison Ivy Cure?

Poison ivy causes urushiol-induced contact dermatitis. This condition is caused by urushiol, a compound in the leaves of the plant that causes skin rashes and blistering. If its ashes or vapors are inhaled or its parts eaten, the plant can also cause inflammation and damage to other organs. Exposure to this plant can cause anaphylaxis and may eventually lead to death. Because of these effects, poison ivy has been cited as one of the threats to people in the outdoors. But one shouldn’t be deterred from enjoying the beauty of nature because of this plant. Knowing how the plant looks like and exercising caution and presence of mind will get you far, but there are many unguarded moments that could leave you exposed to it. Those times call for specific poison ivy cure and treatment procedures to be undertaken.

The first immediate action to be taken when you’ve come in contact with poison ivy is to douse the area with rubbing alcohol first and then wash the area of contact with water. It is best not to wash the area with soap immediately because this might spread the urushiol-containing oils of the plant to other parts of your body. It is best that one take a full body shower after with soap and water and wipe everything you’ve had contact with with rubbing alcohol and water.

There are poison ivy cure and treatments available in the market today like wipes, soaps and creams that vary in function. Some soothe itching and burning of the affected area while some specialized soaps and wipes degrade and take out urushiol from the skin. Some examples of these treatments are Calamine lotion, Zanfel Wash and Ivystat.

Remember that the ooze that comes from the blisters doesn’t spread the condition. It is even safe to handle and touch somebody else’s blisters or rashes because poison ivy rash does not transmit like this. Also, prevention is always the best poison ivy cure. Scout your backyard or nearby forest areas for the plant and warn members of your household about these areas. Always wear pants, long sleeved shirts and other protective clothing when outdoors. There are available repellent creams and lotions in drug stores which you can apply to exposed areas of your body. To get rid of the plants, you can spray your background with pesticide, or hire pest control services to do this for you.

For more information on poison ivy and how to protect yourself, please visit http://www.remediesforpoisonivy.com/