I use Tecnu if I??ve been near poison ivy and it seems to work well. ?ÿNever had a reaction to the plant when I use it.
@tickmagnet I second that!
Tencu is in my truck. I've not gotten a reaction since I started using it. The stuff can get on tools, rods, stake bags, hammers, the two worst reactions I've had were from reinfections, a hammer handle and a stake bag. Once I figured it I threw them away.
Now I take boots, tools, stake bags to the car wash and use engine clearner on them, hit them with hot soap.
Banana peels. The inside part.
It works well for my kids.
I get a minor black scab, usually once a year. Scrape it off, and I'm immune for the year.
Some folks are really sensitive to it.
N
@bill93?ÿ
I too was one of the lucky ones.?ÿ So much so that I think over the years, numerous of my colleagues almost resented how I did not even look for the stuff.?ÿ They would let me know I was standing in a field for poison oak hoping I would get it.?ÿ That all came to a screeching halt about five or six years ago.?ÿ It was late fall and I was brushing blackberry for a job along the railroad.?ÿ I was oblivious to the fact that the thicket contained poison oak.?ÿ A couple of day later I started to notice a weird skin condition along the scrape lines from the vines.?ÿ Apparently the oils from the poison oak had gotten into my scared up arms, it got pretty bad.?ÿ I ended up getting some pills from my doctor.
Now I keep my eyes out for the stuff and avoid it when possible.?ÿ I have not had any sever reaction since then even though I know I've been in the stuff (it is about the only stuff that grows at a long term project I'm on).?ÿ One bad encounter was enough.?ÿ?ÿ
And don't discard the dangers of contracting poison Ivy. One person I know got it on his legs. He was very sensitive to it and couldn't wear pants for a while. Later, a melanoma appeared where the infected area was and he has spent years fighting cancer since.?ÿ
?ÿ
When I first started surveying, I could literally machete my way through 15-foot tall jungles of poison oak (yes, we encountered those at the beach in SoCal) without getting any signs of it on myself. About 5 years into my surveying career, I finally managed to get a mild case of poison oak. Over the years, I had a few more cases and they increasingly worsened with each one. The last one lasted a good couple of months and then I didn't have any cases for quite a few years after that.
Several years ago, while doing a topo in Hillsboro, Oregon, I contracted poison oak once again. This one lasted SIX MONTHS. I went to the doctor, who told me that it will only get worse. He said it would likely worsen significantly with each event until such time as it kills me. I stopped surveying in the field shortly after that.
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Oak and Ivy are the same species. Their form varies somewhat from region to region and circumstance to circumstance, but generally the naming convention is just a local preference.?ÿ The pictured variety is typical of NW Oregon in May.?ÿ
Prednisone and Dawn dishsoap is my go-to remedy. You have to get the oil off so it stops the spread. Wash wash wash!?ÿ
@wendell?ÿ
My experience has been similar, only it is the onset end of the cycle that has changed. My early P.O. events started maybe a week after exposure. Nowadays I'm breaking out before I can get back to the truck. Those little antiseptic towelettes from the first aid kit have saved my bacon more than once.?ÿ
@wendell?ÿ
My experience has been similar, only it is the onset end of the cycle that has changed. My early P.O. events started maybe a week after exposure. Nowadays I'm breaking out before I can get back to the truck. Those little antiseptic towelettes from the first aid kit have saved my bacon more than once.?ÿ
My experience has been the same. The theory is that each time you're exposed to it, it breaks down your immunity a little more, until one day you have an allergic reaction, and it continues to get worse for each subsequent exposure.?ÿ
- Once you've got a dose try to not scratch?ÿ which makes it much worse.?ÿ Best is to bandage it to absorb weepage and prevent you from scratching.?ÿ It'll take months before a big wound completely heals, such is life.?ÿ Cortisone/prednisone treatment seems like overkill to me, less itching but powerful drugs to be applied to what is essentially a skin irritation and they do have side effects.
- The?ÿvery best solution is?ÿ to find one of the 10% of the population which are completely immune to urushiol and make him your brush monkey.?ÿ?ÿ
I rank poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac pretty low on the scale of fieldwork dangers.?ÿ #1 is chiggers, then mosquitos, bees, biting flies and way down the list are snakes, bears and irate humans.
Regarding the bandage, it has been my experience to do just the opposite. Like any scab or irritated skin, it needs to breathe to heal. In my experience, it has to run its course and heal, so leaving it alone the best you can is the quickest way to heal.?ÿ
I tried leaving it alone at first but the weeping was just too nasty.?ÿ I started wrapping my legs up like a mummy and it's been a million times better.
@norman-oklahoma That's a particularly sappy bunch!!
I get it all the time it is everywhere in Louisiana.?ÿ I used this stuff for mild cases or just go get a shot. https://www.ivarest.com/products/ivarest-poison-ivy-itch-cream/
Still cannot paste links to other websites from my iPhone for some reason. ?ÿAs others have said ??Tecnu.?
www.teclabsinc.com
?ÿ
Zanfel. Worth twice it's weight in gold. I've tried many things during the years, a quick cleanup with detergent ammonia and wipe down with paper towels at first contact works in the field. If you start to see the rash appear on your skin. get some Zanfel and follow the directions. The last time I used it the blisters didn't even show up. I had to throw away the jeans though since the washing machine couldn't seem to get the oil out and would get it again the next time I wore those jeans. Look it up on their internet site and believe all they state.
Nice, I'll keep this stuff in mind.?ÿ The rash and swelling died down right around the 2 week mark.
Now I need to find something to spray my truck seat with to destroy whatever oil is on it but also won't stain and ruin the (cloth) seat.
Technu is the only thing that really works. Wash with it after being in the field to remove the oils.
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