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Poison Oak Symptoms & Treatment

Poison oak is an allergic contact dermatitis caused by a substance called urushiol, which is found within plants such as poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac. Over 85 percent of people who come into contact with urushiol suffer from an allergic reaction to it.

  1. Urushiol

    • The substance urushiol is found within poison oak leaves, stems and roots and is the cause of skin irritation that the majority of people feel after coming into contact with the plant. Urushiol is a clear or slight yellowish oil that oozes from a cut or crushed plant. Contrary to common belief, a person does not need to come into contact with poison oak to feel the effects---urushiol can be carried on animal fur, golf clubs or even golf balls. Burning plants containing urushiol can cause the substance to be inhaled, affecting the nose, throat and lungs.

    Symptoms

    • After coming into contact with poison oak, ushuriol penetrates the skin within minutes, causing a rash that usually resembles insect bites within 12 to 24 hours. Different cases respond differently, with the symptoms of poison oak becoming visible anywhere between a few hours and five days after exposure. Swelling and redness typically develop before the skin becomes itchy and forms blisters. These blisters usually crust within five days, with healing usually complete within 10 days. In some extreme cases symptoms include stomach cramps, nausea and swelling of the body.

    Treatments

    • Although the best treatment for poison oak is to not become infected there are certain treatments that can help the infection. When coming into contact with poison oak a quick cure is to run the infected area under cold, running water at a lake, stream or garden hose. This is only effective in the first 5 minutes of infection before the ushuriol penetrates the skin. Cool showers can relieve the itching caused by poison oak; histamine, the substance within the skin that causes irritation, can be reduced by starting with a warm shower and gradually increasing the heat until it reaches the maximum tolerable and after a few minutes the itching should subside. By treating the itch in the shower a sufferer can relieve the skin irritation for around 8 hours. In severe cases corticosteroids can quickly halt a reaction at the onset of the outbreak or later; a doctor can prescribe steroid cream stronger than 0.5 percent hydrocortisone cream to be applied four to six times a day. An antihistamine or aspirin can also be used to relieve skin irritations caused by poison oak.

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