CONTACT DERMATITIS (POISON IVY)

Serving Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Grimsby and surrounding areas.

General Information:

• Poison Ivy is a common plant found in Canada and the United States. It can be a vine, shrub, bush, or groundcover. In the Niagara Peninsula it can often be seen by the side of the road growing up telephone poles
• The plant can be recognized by the fact that it has green leaves in groups of three. An easy saying to remember is: “Leaves of three, Let them be!”
• You can get the rash by touching any part of the plant. The only way to get poison ivy is to touch the plant
• The rash only appears when you touch the plant a second time. The first time that you touch poison ivy, your body becomes sensitive to it, but, there is no rash. On the second exposure the rash can be severe with formation of large blisters and intense itching
• The rash may appear as red swollen areas of skin or rows of blisters forming lines. These are areas where the edges of the leaves of the plant have touched the skin
• You can get the rash at any time of year, even in winter when there are no leaves on the plant
• The rash does no recur every seven years - this is an old wives' tale. The only way for the rash to return is if you touch the plant again
  

General Measures

• Do not take hot baths or showers. Use only lukewarm or cool water
• Wash all clothing that may have come into contact with the plant
• Bathe any pets that may have come into contact with the plant
• Change seat covers on car seats, or cover the seats, if you think that they may have been contaminated by plant residue on your clothing
• Be very careful when destroying poison ivy plants. It is possible to get the rash from the roots, stems, leaves and berries of the plant
• Be especially careful if you burn the plant. Inhaling the smoke can cause severe inflammation of the lungs and throat and is very dangerous
• The rash may continue to appear for 2 to 3 weeks after exposure, even if you do not touch the plant again. You cannot spread the rash on yourself from the fluid from the blisters
• The rash is not contagious and you cannot give it to other people
  

Treatment:

• A variety of creams and pills are available.
• Please talk to your doctor about your treatment options.

Dermatologist Dr. Peter Vignjevic • 631 Queenston Road, Suite 203, Hamilton, Ontario 905-549-1025

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