Poison Ivy Prevention: The Urushiol Rash That Wasn’t

That’s what most poison ivy sufferers want to hear. And now after forty years of my own successes and failures, it’s time to share the lessons learned. After all of this periodic suffering, I’ve learned that you really can avoid this irritating rash most of the time with the right combination of behaviors. You have to really want to do it, but the fiery itch of the urushiol rash is enough to light the fire of desire for higher knowledge for most of us.

The poison in poison ivy is the oil "urushiol" - pronounced ((y)oo ‘roo she awl). Urushiol is simply a skin irritant that causes an allergic reaction. As with any other allergen, the first exposure doesn’t usually cause a reaction, but, instead, sensitizes you to the oil. It will usually be the next exposure that results in the awful rash that so many of us get.

You don’t build up immunity to urushiol or poison ivy. In fact, repeated exposure often just makes subsequent exposures that much more painful. Some adults who never had poison ivy as a kid may find that they become allergic to it later in life, and others who used to get terrible rashes as children may find that they seem to be less sensitive as adults. Not all of these things are well understood, so don’t allow yourself to be overconfident about your apparent immunity.

Although there are a few treatments that work to help stop the itching and dry up the poison ivy rash, your best line of defense against poison ivy is prevention. That doesn’t mean you have to stay inside, and it doesn’t even mean that you have to avoid walking through an area where you know poison ivy grows. But, it does mean learning how to identify poison ivy in its various forms and becoming familiar with a few simple tips that should prevent 90 to 95% of the painful results of a little bit of exposure. Poison ivy prevention is 95% mental. If you are a chronic sufferer of poison ivy, it’s good to learn to prepare a mental image of how the oil reaches your skin and then to develop a set of habits to get rid of it before it "gets" you.

The oil is essentially invisible in the sense that it takes so little of it to cause a rash. You can also get a poison ivy rash from plants that are either dead or alive. So, yes, it is possible to get poison ivy in the winter, and destroying poison ivy by burning is very risky because the oil can become airborne. Also, remember that a pet can bring the oil into the house after a walk in the woods and that the oil can remain viable on clothes for as long as a year or more under the right conditions.

Identification:
There are lots of websites available with pictures of poison ivy, but here are the basics. Poison ivy always has three leaves and they’re often not symmetrical. In much of Missouri, the leaves often take on a mitten shape, especially in mature plants. Early in the spring and late in the fall, the leaves can also have a beautiful red appearance as well. New leaves are often very glossy.

There are many other plants that seem to fit these criteria, but there are also a few distinct differences. If you see three leaves, look further down the stem. If you also see pairs of leaves below the top three, then that’s not poison ivy. If the three leaves have nice, even or regular serrations, then this is probably not poison ivy either. Also, very symmetrical plants with several stems in a symmetrical arrangement are probably young trees. Poison ivy is an unruly plant that can take the form of a small plant, a vine, a bush, or even a small tree. It’s very hard to enumerate every possible condition, so it’s a good idea to find a good pictorial guide.

Avoidance tips:

• Dress in long pants to minimize skin exposure, and avoid touching your legs below the knees with your hands or arms. For example, tie shoes well so that you don’t need to retie them during a hike.
• Carry a stick to help you move vegetation as you walk. Touch only one end of the stick! Do not touch your face.
• Create a mental picture of your exposure. For example, visualize that your pants and shoes may be covered with oil-especially below the knees-and avoid skin exposure to those areas.
• Keep potential exposure down to about an hour and plan to wash well as soon as possible.

• Avoid any action that might spread the oil inside the house. For example, you might even open doors with a paper towel if you suspect you have the oil on your hands.
• Immediately remove clothing and place in a plastic bag or directly in the washing machine. Alert others to the potential hazard from these clothes.
• Start by washing hands and other exposed areas with lots of water. Use cool water. Warm water can open pores and allow even better penetration by the oil. The oil can also penetrate clothing, so consider the same cleanup routine for your legs, especially below the knees.
• The key is to dilute the oil with plenty of cool water. A washcloth may only spread the oil. Dish soap and even rubbing alcohol can help break down the oil, but these agents will also remove important oils from your skin. If you plan to go right back out again within an hour or so, removing these oils can remove some of your natural protection.
• Remember that during washing, you will spread the oil around. The key is to use enough cool water that you spread the oil right off of your skin.

For avoiding a poison ivy disaster, prevention is the key. All of this may sound like a lot of work, but having a bad case of poison ivy is a lot of work too, and it can take days and even weeks to get rid of the stuff.

To view poison ivy images please visit the following web site: http://www.psu.missouri.edu/fishel/poison_ivy.htm.
Happy hiking.

Bill Casady, Ag. Engineering, UMC (573) 882-4310