2) Get reports on high risk areas from a nearby information center, or campsite personnel.
3) Wear appropriate clothing for camping and hiking. Bare skin will be more vulnerable to contact reactions, but most clothing will not completely shield you from urushiol.
4) Avoid rubbing your face and neck or contacting your groin area before washing your hands if you have handled or touched any leaves, branches or bushes.
What can I do if I suspect I have contacted poison ivy?
First, immediately wash the skin with rubbing alcohol or plain water (if alcohol is not available). That will help to remove some of the resin before it attaches to the skin. Washing the skin within the first few minutes of exposure may greatly reduce the severity of the reaction.
Second, take a shower with soap and warm water. But rinse off the exposed areas with rubbing alcohol or water first. If you shower first, the urushiol may be spread (from being attached to the soap) to other parts of the body.
Third, isolate or clean any clothing or objects that might have the urushiol residue with alcohol (such as axe handles, gloves, fishing rod handles, back packs, binoculars etc.). Exercise caution in handling materials that may have the residue. A pair of thick vinyl gloves would be best to have for this process. Urushiol may go through cloth, latex, thin vinyl or plastic gloves.
Learn more about treatment of poison ivy related dermatitis by clicking this link.
Seek medical advice if you have a history of severe poison ivy dermatitis and suspect you have contacted it again. It important to see a doctor if you have a progressively worsening skin rash or if the urushiol came in contact with your face or groin area.
A few final Tidbits:
Although some spread of the poison ivy dermatitis may occur from scratching new areas of the skin early on, the blisters and vesicles which appear subsequently are not contagious and do not contain urushiol.
Be aware that new lesions may erupt for more than three weeks after onset. This is usually because of re-exposure from materials that are contaminated with urushiol. This is not from scratching the rash. You must meticulously and cautiously clean any suspected items that may contain the urushiol. Residue on clothing and hard surfaces may cause dermatitis more than a year later.
