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Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac Rashes: Symptoms and Treatments

When your skin comes into contact with poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac plants, the urushiol oil that the plants produce can provoke an allergic reaction, causing an itchy rash. But you don’t have to let poisonous plants ruin your outdoor fun! By taking some simple preventative steps, you can avoid itchy encounters. Keep reading to learn more about how to avoid these plants and how to manage the rashes they cause.

What Do Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac Look Like?

When in the great outdoors, it helps to know what poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac look like. They each have a distinctive appearance and grow all over the United States. Find out what they look like here.

Poison Ivy

The popular saying “Leaves of three, let them be!” is a helpful reminder for knowing what poison ivy looks like so you can avoid it. Poison ivy is the most common among the poison plants. Each leaf of poison ivy has three leaflets and the itch-causing plant grows as a shrub and a vine. The leaves are shiny green, and they can turn orange or red in the fall. Sometimes poison ivy may have yellow or green flowers and white to green-yellow or amber berries. Eastern poison ivy grows as a hairy, ropelike vine, while western poison ivy usually grows as a low shrub that does not form a climbing vine. Poison ivy is common throughout most of the United States except Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of the West Coast.^1,2

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Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture, via Centers for Disease Control

Poison Oak

Poison oak has three leaflets like poison ivy, but with rounded tips. It may have yellow or green flowers and green-yellow or white berries. Poison oak usually grows as a shrub. It’s most common in the western U.S., although poison oak is also found in eastern states.1,2

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Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture, via Centers for Disease Control

Poison Sumac

Poison sumac is a tall shrub or small tree with drooping clusters of green, pale yellow, or cream-colored berries. It has clusters of 7–13 leaves arranged in pairs. Poison sumac grows in wet, swampy regions in southeastern states and is also found in wet, wooded areas in the northern U.S. ^1,2

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Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture, via Centers for Disease Control

Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac Rashes and Symptoms

Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac rashes vary from person to person. Symptoms can include:

Intense itching
Redness
Swelling
Blisters

The first symptom of contact with poison ivy, oak, or sumac is usually intense itching. After the itching starts, a rash develops. The amount of time it takes to appear depends on whether you have had a rash before from poison ivy, oak, or sumac.

If you have had a rash before from poison ivy, oak, or sumac, the rash tends to develop within a few hours.
If you have never had a rash before from poison ivy, oak, or sumac, it can take days or even a week or more after exposure for a rash to appear.

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Poison Ivy Rash. Photo by Centers for Disease Control/ Richard S. Hibbits

The itching caused by these poisonous plants can be very intense. If you’re wondering what poison ivy, oak or sumac looks like on skin it can vary, as some people develop rashes in one or two areas, and some people develop a rash all over. If you have blisters, they can break open and leak fluid and as the blisters heal, they crust over.

The rash usually clears within 1–3 weeks and . It can be extremely itchy until it clears. The amount of time it takes to clear depends on whether you have had a rash before from poison ivy, oak, or sumac.³

If you have had a rash before from poison ivy, oak, or sumac, the rash tends to last 1–14 days.
If you have never had a rash before from poison ivy, oak, or sumac, the rash can take longer, up to 21 days to clear.

Rashes from poison ivy, oak, and sumac share similarities with rashes from other causes, such as bug bites and shingles. If you have a rash and you’re not sure if it’s from poison ivy, oak or sumac, see a doctor.

How Does Poison Ivy Spread and Is It Contagious?

A poison ivy, sumac, or oak rash can look like it is spreading to other parts of the body, but you are actually developing new rashes in areas of the skin that came into contact with urushiol, the oil these plants produce that can induce the itching and rash. This can happen when:

You touched the plant in an area of your skin and did not realize it.
Your skin comes into contact with something that touched the plant and got urushiol on it, such as an unwashed piece of clothing or a backpack strap that brushed up on a poison plant leaf.

A poison ivy, sumac, or oak rash is not contagious. You cannot get a rash from poison ivy, oak, or sumac by touching another person’s rash.4

However, if you touch the urushiol on another person’s body, clothing, or your pet’s fur, you could develop a rash. You could also develop a rash after coming into contact with urushiol on an object that has come into contact with a poison plant, such as clothing, camping gear, or tools.

Severe Reactions to Poisonous Plants

The following are less common severe symptoms that you can have with a poison ivy, oak, or sumac rash.³

The rash is severe or widespread on a large area of the body.
Your skin continues to swell.
The rash is on mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, mouth, or genitals.
Blisters are oozing pus.
You inhaled the smoke from burning poison ivy and are having difficulty breathing.
You develop a fever.
Symptoms do not improve within 7–10 days.

If you experience any of the following symptoms with a poison ivy, oak, or sumac rash, reach out to a doctor or healthcare provider.

Avoiding Poison Plants & Preventing Skin Rashes

To prevent a rash from poison ivy, oak, or sumac, follow these tips:

Avoid coming into contact with poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac plants. These plants produce an oil called urushiol, which most people are allergic to and is the main cause of the characteristic itchy rash. Learn how to identify the plants in all seasons to help avoid them in the first place.
Wear protective clothing that covers as much of the skin as possible when engaging in outdoor activities like hiking or camping, such as socks, pants, and long sleeves.
Remove the plants from your yard or garden by applying an herbicide or pulling them out of the ground, including the roots, while wearing heavy gloves.
Do not burn poison ivy, oak, or sumac. The smoke from burning the plants can carry urushiol, which can cause lung irritation if it is inhaled.
Keep pets away from the plants so that urushiol does not stick to their fur.
Wash your skin or pet’s fur thoroughly after exposure to urushiol. Wash as soon as possible with soap and water. Use gloves if washing your pet.
Clean contaminated objects, such as clothing, shoes, camping gear, or garden tools. Urushiol can remain potent for years on objects if it sticks to objects, and it can still cause rashes later.

Treatments for Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac

If you have been exposed to poison ivy, oak, or sumac, here are some tips to treat the rash.^3,5

Wash the area with soap and water as soon as possible after exposure, preferably within 10 minutes.
Remove and wash any contaminated clothing that might have come into contact with the plant as soon as possible.
Do not scratch. Scratching can lead to infection. Follow tips for itchy skin prevention such as keeping scratches clean and avoiding scratching in your sleep.
Leave blisters alone. If blisters open, leave the underlying skin alone because it provides protection for the raw wound underneath and prevents infection.
Take short lukewarm baths with an oatmeal-based bath product to help with symptoms.
Consider applying an over-the-counter cortisone cream or ointment for the first few days.
Apply calamine lotion or creams containing menthol.

For adults and children 2 years of age and older, consider BENADRYL® topical products which are formulated with diphenhydramine HCl for temporary relief of symptoms such as pain and itching.

BENADRYL® topical products can provide temporary relief from symptoms of rashes caused by poison ivy, oak, or sumac such as pain and itching. They can also dry the oozing and weeping of poison ivy, oak, and sumac. Ask a doctor for children under 2 years. Apply to the affected area not more than 3–4 times daily. BENADRYL® topical products are available in the following formulations:

Usually, symptoms improve and the rash clears on its own within 7–10 days. Reach out to your healthcare provider if you have severe symptoms or your symptoms do not improve.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Identifying Poisonous Plants. June 1, 2018. Accessed from: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/plants/identification.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poisonous Plants: Geographic Distribution. June 1, 2018. Accessed from: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/plants/geographic.html
American Academy of Dermatology. Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac: What Does the Rash Look Like? Accessed from: https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/itchy-skin/poison-ivy/what-rash-looks-like
Mayo Clinic. Poison Ivy Rash. October 17, 2020. Accessed from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/poison-ivy/symptoms-causes/syc-20376485
American Family Physician. Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac Contact Dermatitis. June 1, 2000. Accessed from: https://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0601/p3408.html