Black spot poison ivy
Irritation and rash don't appear immediately, but take some time to incubate, depending on whether it is the person's first exposure. "The most common method, though, is that someone is pulling out weeds and then they rub an eyelid or something," Adams says.
#Black spot poison ivy skin
In other cases, people burning yard waste and debris make the oil become airborne, and exposure to the smoke can cause the whole face and any exposed skin to swell and itch. Now and then, he'll run across someone who has been exposed to poison ivy after using a chainsaw to cut down trees that have decades-old mature vines of the plant roping up the trunk. The oil can remain on inanimate objects for long periods of time, so Adams recommends laundering clothing and cleaning garden tools after use. "The urushiol oil inside is still viable." "What happens is that people buy a live Christmas tree, and there are dead vines on it that they rip off, not knowing what they are," Adams says. He does see a few patients who get poison ivy during the winter holidays. "You have to actually break the leaves, stem or root to get the urushiol oil on you."Īlthough most people who contract poison ivy see their family doctor for treatment, Adams sees some of the more serious cases each summer, but the number or severity hasn't changed much in the past 15 years. Contrary to popular belief, Adams says you can't get poison ivy simply by brushing against its leaves. One-quarter of people will not have any reaction to exposure. Three-quarters of the population will get an itchy red rash if exposed to the urushiol oil inside the plant's leaves, stem and roots. As a lifelong outdoorsman who enjoys fishing, hunting and hiking, Adams says he hasn't seen significant changes in the location or prevalence of poison ivy, nor the size of the leaves: "I think people are just out more and so they're coming into contact with it more."