Fuzzy green leaves in clusters of three are lobed or deeply toothed with rounded tips. Poison Oak: Grows as a low shrub in the Eastern and Southern United States, and in tall clumps or long vines on the Pacific Coast.May have greenish-white flowers and whitish-yellow berries. Leaves are reddish in spring, green in summer, and yellow, orange, or red in fall. Each leaf has three glossy leaflets, with smooth or toothed edges. Can grow as a vine or small shrub trailing along the ground or climbing on low plants, trees and poles. Poison Ivy: Found throughout the United States except Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of the West Coast.Recognizing Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac Airborne sap-coated soot can get into the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory system. Problems can also happen if the plants are burned.
Poison ivy rash can range from mild to severe, depending on how much sap gets on your skin and how sensitive you are to it. The contact dermatitis will persist for 3-4 weeks if not treated. Scratching does not spread the eruption: vesicles and plaques first appear at sites of contact with high concentrations of antigen and then, as the immune response increases, skin that has contacted lower antigen concentrations becomes involved. Poison ivy, oak, or sumac dermatitis can occur in people of all races and ages, although the elderly and very young children may be less susceptible. Pruritus is generally severe.īlack dot (or black spot) poison ivy is the presence of black residue on the skin surface that occurs when a high concentration of urushiol contacts the skin and undergoes oxidization in the presence of moisture. If not washed away, the resin may be easily and unwittingly transferred to other body locations, including the trunk, genital area, and face, where it will incite the same reaction. Poison ivy rash is typically seen on the extremities at sites of contact with the plant and appears as erythematous, linear plaques with associated vesicles and bullae.
A second exposure may cause a blistering skin rash to develop within 2 to 3 days after exposure to the urushiol oil. If you are predisposed to developing a rash from poison ivy, the rash usually appears between 10 and 14 days after your first exposure to the plant. Some people are genetically programmed not to develop a rash from poison ivy. Within minutes of contact with urushiol, the skin starts to absorb it. You find this oil in all parts of the plants - the leaves, stems, fruits and even the roots. Urushiol is the oil in poison ivy, oak, and sumac. The very first time an individual is exposed to poison ivy urushiol oily sap, they may or may not develop a rash. Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac dermatitis is a contact dermatitis (type IV delayed hypersensitivity immune reaction) to an oily resin (urushiol) found on the leaves and in the stems and roots of plants of the Rhus genus (poison ivy, oak, and sumac).
Many people get a rash from poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Exposure to the resin of poison ivy leaves, stems, branches, and roots causes an allergic reaction in some people.