I have poison ivy right now and I've been reading some information on the internet about it.
Poison Ivy - The rash is caused by contact with an oil (urushiol) found in the poison ivy, oak, or sumac. Urushiol is an allergen, so the rash is actually an allergic reaction to the oil in these plants.
The rash ususally appears 8 to 48 hours after you contact with the urushiol. The will continue to develop in new areas over several days but only on the parts of your skin that had contact with the urushiol or those parts where the urushiol was spread by touching. The rash is not contagious. You cannot catch or spread a rash once it appears, even if you touch it or the blister fluid, because the urushiol will already be absorbed or washed off the skin. The rash may seem to be spreading, but either it is still developing from earlier contact or you have touched something that still has urushiol on it.
I've always been told that by touching or scratching it - it will spread to other parts of your body or you can give it to others. No true! I've learned something today.
2 comments:
I didn't know that either. I guess since sometimes, it takes a while for rash to develop in different areas, people always assume you spread it by scratching or touching. How did you get it?
I was helping Aaron and Howard on Thursday with some landscaping. :(
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