Your skin may begin itching pretty quickly. Do everything in your power to avoid itching your skin. This is the main way that poison oak rashes tend to spread.
If you are still in the woods away from a bathroom, look for a nearby stream and rinse your skin. This will get rid of the residue left of your skin, which will help reduce irritation quickly. If you have a water bottle, pour it directly on to the skin. The only exception is for soaps that are oil-based. Specialty skincare products with coconut oil or olive oil in them may actually spread the urushiol around. [5] X Research source
In addition to your clothes, be sure to wash off any tools or objects that might have come into contact with the plant or your skin after you were exposed. Use a liberal amount of oil-free dish soap and a sponge or cloth to thoroughly clean any items that touched the poison oak. [7] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source If you don’t have soap around, even rinsing the clothing or other objects off in water may help remove some of the oily residue.
Although you cannot make the rash spread after you get the urushiol off your skin, you can irritate the rash and cause skin damage by scratching or itching.
If you don’t get a rash at all, you’re in luck. You’re probably immune to poison oak! Roughly 1 in 4 people have no reaction to urushiol. [11] X Research source
There are specialty poison oak and poison ivy soaps and creams, but there’s no evidence that they’re more effective than standard calamine or hydrocortisone cream. Excessive itching may make your rash worse and keep your skin from healing. If you can handle the itching, your skin should heal just fine on its own.
You cannot use standard oatmeal that you find in a grocery store for a real oatmeal bath. Colloidal oatmeal contains a cleansing agent called saponin that is commonly found in vegetables. It acts as a natural barrier and moisturizes your skin.
Some people really dislike the feeling of aloe vera. The mentholated sensation can be a little painful for some people. If you’ve never used aloe vera before, try spot testing it in a rash-free area first to see if you like it.
Prednisone is a steroid and it’s typically pretty good at clearing the rash up in 3-4 days. For severe rashes, you may need to take it for up to 15 days.
If you’ve just been exposed, don’t worry. Severe reactions to poison oak are pretty rare. Most people just get the moderately-obnoxious rash and the odds are good that you’ll be fine.
A rash is considered large if it covers a quarter of your body or more. Sensitive areas include your face, lips, eyes, and genitals.
You may need additional treatment to help your rash heal. Your doctor can advise you about your treatment options. The odds are they’ll prescribe a steroid to help your body fight the rash off.
Common signs of an infection include fever, pus, tenderness, and odor coming from your blisters.
Let the doctor know that you breathed in poison oak smoke.
