Poison Ivy

[Z-man]

Poinson Ivy and sumac and oak. I am highly allergic to this stuff. And it is all over my yard.

I cut the grass on Monday, and did some yardwork behind my shed, where apparently lots of this stuff grows. By Tuesday morning, my lower right arm had a significant rash. As of this morning, I have itchy rashes on both of my arms and both of my legs.

And I have used copius amounts of Round-Up for Poison Ivy in my yard. Last fall, I had a tree guy take out all of the dead trees and undergrowth from the wooded area of my yard - cleared it down to bare dirt and covered that area with woodchips -- yet the poison weeds are presistent.

Yes, I should have been more careful. Should have had on a long sleeve shirt and pants instead of the shorts and short sleeve shirt I had on. I did use "Technu Extreme" to remove the oils from my skin after exposure. But to no avail. I do find that running scolding hot water over the effected area helps the itching go away for a short time, and I've been using CalaGel to ease the discomfort as well.

So my question -- does anyone have any good remedies for either removing the oils once they are on my skin, or for treating the rash afterwards? Also - does anyone know where I can get my hands on some Agent Orange, so I can rid my yard of this stuff?!?

Thanks,
-Z-man.

[CharlieB]

Hi Z-man: I've got the same problem. Have a small farm in north Ga.. Last week I cleaned and cleared a fence line. Wore long pants, boots, gloves, etc. Still got rash on both lower arms where shirt sleeves rode above the gloves. Itches like hell!! On-line search revealed a product called All Stop. Sounds promising. I'm going to phone order today. You might want to check it out!! Charlie

[Amail]

I used to get really nasty cases of poison oak as a kid. I found that swimming in the ocean or chlorinated pools seemed to clear it up faster than just leaving it alone.

[masraum]

I get it in my yard too. I wear nitrile gloves and "pluck" it and then throw out everything. I think I use that Technu stuff if I think I touched some. You're right, the scalding hot water helps temporarily.

If you've got it in spots, you can put plastic on the ground over the area when the stuff grows, weigh the plastic down and leave it for a week or two. If you've got enough sun exposure, the heat under the plastic should kill anything under the plastic.

[Super_Dave_D]

check this out

http://www.myhomeremedies.com/topic.cgi?topicid=165

the table salt remedy has the most positive results

[NICKG]

i have jewelweed soap...works great. so does the bleach or salt method

[Heel n Toe]

Z-man, make sure you don't get any on your twinkie.

[kycarguy 935]

I had it bad on my arm a few years ago. I cleaned it with bleach everyday until it was gone. Hot water is bad for a rash from stuff like this. It makes the oils move to other areas of your body. Since I had it on my arm and didn't want it to move any further I used plastic and covered the area in the shower.

If the rash area starts weeping you should probably see a doctor for medication. At this point it is very hard to eliminate on your own.

Good luck and let us know what works for you.

[porsche4life]

One guy in our scout troop swears by..... VAGISIL... Never tried it but you might look into it.

[Eric 951]

Bleach--I never cut it with water--straight bleach in a spray bottle--dries it out fast.

[masraum]

Once you've gotten the stuff on you and washed, it's done spreading. If you take a shower and wash with soap, the next day or two days later, it won't/can't spread any more.

[Z-man]

Well, I went through the home remedy page - found some stuff I will try -

- Seems exfoliating with salt helps dry out the poison ivy oils and helps to relieve the itching.

- Since the poison is an oil, using a good automotive hand degreaser may do the trick.

- Someone pointed out that spraying on Secret spray deodorant prior to going out, and using it as a barrier against the oils is a good idea. I've heard that vasoline would also work - but Secret is a bit easier to spray on, and less of a mess to wash off... (Plus I'll smell like pretty roses...)

While hot water does help give relief, I can see how that isn't the best idea, as the hot water will open my pores, and possibly allow the oils to penetrate deeper into my skin.

Oh, and at this point - the blisters have started their oozing. Oh joy!

-Z

[Rot 911]

Forget all of that stuff. When I get the first signs of poison ivy breaking out I call my Dr. and get a prednisone dose pack. It is a steroid and clears the rash up within 24 hours.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by Kurt V

Forget all of that stuff. When I get the first signs of poison ivy breaking out I call my Dr. and get a prednisone dose pack. It is a steroid and clears the rash up within 24 hours.

Totally agree. Used to live in the woods and got it on my legs and chest. Started talking with each other and moving towards the crotch area.

If its really bad, GO GET THE SHOT, its a lot easier and stops it dead in its tracks.

[masraum]

Based on the reading that I did when I figured out what I was getting into....

Oil from the plant first gets on your skin. Once you wash the oil off, that's it. At that time the oil has already caused the cell damage to your skin causing the cell walls to break down. The oozing fluid that is in the little blisters is just fluid from the cells and whatever your body does to try to heal them. The fluid is not oil from the plant, that's long gone.

When you first get the oil on you, you can touch other areas or people and spread it that way. You may even notice that some areas develop the rash sooner/later than other areas, but that's more due to the different types of skin in different areas reacting differently, not because you can spread the rash for days.

I pop the little blisters intentionally because it relieves the pressure which helps the itching and discomfort. I also use the hot water. That shouldn't cause a problem unless you use it before you've washed the oil off. I generally get the rash/blisters several hours or the next day later. By that time, the oil is long gone.

[sammyg2]

Never been around those plants but I've used a couple of industrial products that are similar.
Turbo seal and silver seal. Both are used on high temperature sealing on jet engines, high temp steam turbines, and gas expanders. Reportedly they use the sap from sumac in the manufacturing process.
the inside of my forearms broke out if I got within 5 feet of the stuff. I actually have scars from those products, little white circles that don't tan.
They've since come out with revised versions that are supposedly safer, I won't find out.

[Super_Dave_D]

I also heard that rubbing fresh dog poop all over the infected areas really does wonders.

[jluetjen]

Calumine lotion is over the counter and works pretty well. An Oatmeal bath (Aveno) can help with the itching.

As far as the plants, Poison Ivy and Poison Oak are genetically the same plant, it's just that oak grows in the sun while ivy grows in the shade. Learn to recognize it quickly (Three leaves green). I've gotten to the point now where I can easily spot lush growths of it while riding on my bike. When you see it, spray Round-Up aggressively for a week or two should knock it down. Other stuff like plastic sheets may clear a spot, but not kill the plant. It's an ivy and sends out runners underground. Just killing off and area or uprooting part of it will not kill the plant. As far as I can tell, Round-Up does kill the plant, but you have to spray the whole area that has it, not just a part.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

TEC-NU

Stuff works VERY well. Walgreens carries it in most locations. Ask your pharmacist, stuff really does work. Put it on before exposure, use TEC-NU Extreme or regular TEC-NU after exposure.

Best of luck, I'm horribly allergic!!

[Z-man]

David - I did use Tecnu Extreme right after exposure. Apparently, not soon enough after exposure...

Originally Posted by Super_Dave_D

check this out

http://www.myhomeremedies.com/topic.cgi?topicid=165

Best quote from there: "I am soo sensitive to this stuff that I break out in a rash even if I look at one through binoculars."

-Z