For many of us getting the poison ivy rash is an ordeal that we would rather not have to deal with. If we are lucky we will be an adult before the first outbreak ever occurs. But no matter how old you are the rash and the blisters can be downright painful if not annoying.
In all of this discomfort the one question that we ask ourselves is, “When will it all be over?” The answer to this will vary depending on certain factors which include; how severe of a reaction you have and how much urushiol oil you touched and how you are treating it.
Mild Reaction And Treatment
People who have a mild reaction to poison ivy might experience nothing but a small rash and maybe a few blisters. Although it is still annoying it can be cleared up with a few days or even a week. To help speed up the healing process you need to apply the necessary poison ivy creams and medicines on a daily basis and sometimes even twice a day.
Severe Reaction And Treatment
Those who don’t have a mild reaction will suffer from the most severe types. You will recognize these by the increased swelling, redness, and blisters that will usually cover large areas of the skin. Often times these will be misdiagnosed by people who believe that they have some serious illness or reaction to something far worse then a plant.
It can take two to four weeks for these types of reactions to go down. In order to stay in this timeline or even to speed it up as much as possible you must use the right treatments available to you. In most cases you will need to see your doctor – which will be able to give you oral steroids. These are stronger and more effective. Along with this treatment you can use certain poison ivy home remedies that will help to soothe the symptoms.
How Far Did The Urushiol Spread?
The urushiol oil is the toxic substance within the plant that causes the rash and other poison ivy symptoms to appear. When it comes into contact with our skin it will be absorbed into the body and affect that single area. However, there are times when we are not aware with the fact that we have walked over or part of our clothing or other items have touched it.
The moment we touch that item the urushiol is now on our hands and anything we touch after that (eyes, arms, legs, etc) will be affected as well. The more areas that are affected the longer it will take for your body to try to heal them all. Also it might be a few days before the next rash appears. Remember that it can take a few hours or days for any outbreak to occur.