[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.