I have poisen ivy on my hands and face. it is spreading rapidly. what should i take to get rid of it?

My ivy is spreading rapidly. its all over my face and all around my eye. i dont itch it but i do in my sleep and thats how its spreading. im scard that if it gets in my eye i could loose my eye sight. benidrol and calomine lotion arent helping at all! my parrents cant afford to take me to the doctor and cant find medison that works! what can i do!?

I have poisen ivy on my hands and face. it is spreading rapidly. what should i take to get rid of it?
Visit a physician if you have a known severe allergy to poison ivy or if you experience severe symptoms. Some people react particularly strongly to poison ivy. For these cases, or if you have a reaction over a large part of your body or on your genitals, a doctor may prescribe an oral corticosteroid, but don’t wait too long, as this treatment is most effective if taken soon after exposure. If you experience a fever, swelling of the mouth and nose, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or tightness in the chest, you should seek emergency medical care.

Avoid scratching. As soon as you find out that you have poison ivy (usually 24-48 hours after you have been exposed to it) you'll start getting a rash and blisters.

Wash as soon as possible with a product to remove the rash causing substance urushiol. Urushiol is a resin-like substance that stubbornly attaches itself to skin in about 10-15 minutes and becomes nearly impossible to get off with soap and water. Tecnu Extreme is a poison oak and ivy scrub that removes urushiol. Just use it at a sink to wash exposed skin or hop in a shower with it and go to town, washing your entire body with it--even areas where the rash hasn't broken out yet.

Apply topical hydrocortisone cream. A strong over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream can relieve the itching and swelling associated with poison ivy, particularly if used in the early days of a reaction. Still, make sure you use a product to remove the urushiol before your use hydrocortisone creams. Otherwise the urushiol may still be on the skin and can spread by getting on sheets and towels, or by scratching.



A poison ivy rashApply calamine lotion. As the Coasters said in their immortal song Poison Ivy, "You’re gonna need an ocean / of calamine lotion." Calamine lotion can ease the itching and soothe blistered skin. Apply regularly and liberally. Far advanced over calamine lotions are products that contain diphenhydramine hydracholoride. Look for a product that has an antiseptic in it, too. That will help keep the rash area from being infected. Unfortunately, these types of products only treat the symptom--which is the rash. That's why they should be used after you have used a product to remove the urushiol.

Don't take a bath (with oatmeal or baking soda) when you have poison oak or ivy because the rash causing substance urushiol, which can come off your skin during a soak, can float on top of the water and re-attach itself to your skin when you rise from a bath.

Take a shower with an urushiol removing product. They remove the urushiol so the rash won't spread. If the rash has started, use a urushiol removing product immediately. You may be able to lessen the severity of the rash and dramatically shorten the time it takes to heal.

Apply cool, wet compresses. Moisten a clean washcloth in cool water and apply to skin for several minutes. Re-moisten the cloth as needed to keep it cool. Using cold whole milk instead of water has proven more effective for some people, and an ice compress can relieve particularly nasty swelling or burning.

Take oral antihistamines to help you sleep. Antihistamines, such as Benadryl, generally offer only mild relief from the symptoms of poison ivy, but if taken before bedtime their combination of anti-allergy and drowsiness-inducing effects can help you get some rest.

Use hot water to substitute for scratching. If itching becomes unbearable, and nothing else seems to work, try putting the affected areas under hot water, either in your sink or shower. The hot water will actually give your skin the same feeling as scratching it will, and often temporarily relieves the urge to scratch.

In extreme cases, contact your doctor for a cortizone shot. Along with other medication your doctor can prescribe, this will alleviate all symptoms within a few days. It will get rid of the itching within just a few hours. Generally, this will relieve all symptoms for a couple of weeks.

Make a paste of St. John's Wort and apply to the itchy area to get several hours relief from itching. St. John's Wort can be found in the wild, or you can find it is a dried powder in gel capsules sold as an over-the-counter nutritional supplement. Make sure you get gel capsules, not pills. (St. John's Wort is a folk remedy for many skin conditions.)







Tips [edit]At night, trouble sleeping may occur. If you have had enough of the hot water remedies, try soaking your feet in an ice bath for 10-15 seconds at a time.

If you use hot water to substitute for scratching, higher water pressure and temperature will increase the pleasurable "scratching" sensation. Using water that is slightly cooler then scalding can provide 2-3 hours of relief from itching.

Poison ivy blisters are not contagious. The only way you can contract or spread the poison ivy rash is by coming into contact with urushiol. As long as the skin is thoroughly cleaned so that none of this oil remains, there is no danger of spreading the poison ivy reaction to other parts of the body or to other people.

If your child gets into poison ivy, oak, or sumac, cut his or her fingernails very short to minimize skin damage from scratching.

A quick internet search (or a conversation with your friends and neighbors) can yield a ton of home remedies: aloe, vinegar, salt water, and vitamins, to name just a few. Sometimes these work, and sometimes they don’t. If the steps above aren’t working for you, however, you may want to experiment with some of these.

Swimming in a pool with chlorine may assist. The chlorine cleans and disinfects the rash. Spend as much time as possible in the pool. Try at least 3-4 hours at a public pool. After doing this the itching will usually stop completely, it will start to go away within days, and will barely spread.
Reply:DO NOT TOUCH IT !!! always keep the areas cool with ice or cold water. When water starts to ooze out of your outbreaks do not let it spread, Blot it with a paper towel but do not rub!!! take baths and or showers in really cold water to stop/calm the area. Keep the areas dry so put powder on it to stop the ooze and avoid it from spreading, keep applying the powder every time you feel kind of wet. I do not believe people still do oatmeal baths, they started phasing out when I was growing up, but try the oatmeal baths.
Reply:You need to see a doctor whether your parents can afford it or not. What's causing your poison ivy to spread is the fluid from the blisters is getting onto the skin making new lesions probably from scratching in your sleep. Dab the blisters with kleenex or bathroom tissue and dispose of it. Don't dab from place to place because that will only spread it. Don't rub it with the tissue because that smears the fluid from the blisters, also.



There is a shot the doctor can give you and it will stop you from being allergic to poison ivy. It will also stop what you have now. If your parents can't afford to take you to the doctor, tell them to take you to the Health Department for help.



I wish you a speedy recovery.
Reply:It's not spreading. What you need to do is wash everything you touched after you were exposed to poison ivy. It's a reaction to the oil. That oil, if it gets on your bed clothes or a sweater or even underneath your finger nails can get back on you when you sleep or put on the sweater or scratch yourself.



Since it's on your face, it's best to see a doctor. There must be a free clinic in your area. I had a brutal case of poison ivy last summer. It developed into a staph infection and left me with scars. At the very least, talk to a pharmacist.
Reply:you won't lose your eyesight but your eyes might swell shut...you need medicine from a doctor to stop this...how about a neighborhood clinic...
Reply:Caladryl lotion.



http://www.pfizerch.com/brand.aspx?id=28...
Reply:apply cortisone cream. It will take a week or two to heal completely.



Go to a drug store and ask the pharmacist, what is the best medicine he has for poison ivy treatment. It will be less than $5.
Reply:first, wear socks over your hands when you sleep, if you can stand it, it helps to keep you from scratching...try to dab bleach on the spots, except for the opnes on your face..it will dry it up in nooo time...i know it sounds crazy but try the bleach....just don't use too much..apply it 2 or 3 times a day on clean skin