When our children have been exposed to poison ivy we usually don’t find out about it until hours or even a whole day later. They are so busy playing that they forget to look at what they are touching or walking over and will unknowingly brush up against it in some way. By the time we realize what has happened the poison ivy rash and blisters have already erupted onto their skin.
Poison Ivy Creams
There are many ways in which we can cure poison ivy and help to alleviate the pain that they will experience during this process. After they have washed the urushiol oil from the skin the first thing most people will reach for is the calamine lotion or a similar cream to this. These creams are antimicrobial and antiseptics that help to alleviate the itching and dry out the skin. These will heal the skin in a few days or a week and usually do not cost anymore then $10.
Home Remedies
If you do not have calamine lotion on hand you can always use one of the many poison ivy home remedies. The most common is to make a paste using oatmeal or baking soda and hot water. These have the same effect at drying out the skin and helping your children not to scratch at it all day. When they scratch they will continue to break the skin open – which will delay the healing process and put them at risk for an infection. These infections may require antibiotics to treat.
One of the more simpler methods is to dry out the skin with a blow dryer or to take a hot shower. You can research many other remedies on the Internet but you should ask your doctor before using them. There are some people who will post false claims. For example, you should NEVER use bleach or any other chemical cleaner. All of the chemicals in it will burn your skin and make matters worse for you.
Poison Ivy Medicine
People with more sensitive skin will want to know how to cure poison ivy through other methods. In most cases they will immediate begin to feel the symptoms the minute they have been exposed to the plant. The rash will be much more painful for them and the blisters are often very large. If this is the case then the only thing you can do is to see your doctor.
They will need to prescribe you creams or tablets that have stronger medicines in them and will work quickly to alleviate the symptoms and to make the healing process as quick as possible. Even with these poison ivy medicines it might take you between two to three weeks to completely heal.