Recognizing Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac

By Ann Marie Ebling, MS, NP

Poison Ivy: Found throughout the United States except Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of the West Coast. Can grow as a vine or shrub. Each stem has three glossy leaflets, with smooth or toothed edges. Leaves are reddish in spring, green in summer, and yellow, orange, or red in fall. May have white berries.

Poison Oak: Grows as a low shrub in the eastern United States, and in tall clumps or long vines on the Pacific Coast. Fuzzy green leaves in clusters of three are lobed or deeply toothed with rounded tips. May have yellow-white berries.

Poison Sumac: Grows as a tall shrub or small tree in bogs or swamps in the Northeast, Midwest, and parts of the Southwest. Each stem has clusters of seven to 13 smooth-edged leaflets. Leaves are orange in spring, green in summer, and yellow, orange, or red in fall. May have yellow-white berries.

Not Contagious

Poison ivy and other poison rashes can't be spread from person to person. It is possible to pick up the rash from plant oil that may have stuck to clothing, pets, garden tools, and other items that have come in contact with these plants. The plant oil lingers (sometimes for years) on virtually any surface until it is washed off with water.

The rash will only occur where the plant oil has touched the skin, so a person with poison ivy can't spread it on the body by scratching. It may seem like the rash is spreading if it appears over time instead of all at once. This is either because the plant oil is absorbed at different rates in different parts of the body or because of repeated exposure to contaminated objects or plant oil trapped under the fingernails. Even if blisters break, the fluid in the blisters is not plant oil and cannot further spread the rash.

Tips for Prevention

• Learn what poison ivy, oak, and sumac look like so you can avoid them.
• Wash your garden tools and gloves regularly. If you think you may be working around poison ivy, wear long sleeves, long pants tucked into boots, and gloves.
• Wash your pets if they have brushed up against poison ivy, oak, or sumac. Use pet shampoo and water while wearing rubber gloves. Most pets are not sensitive to poison ivy, but the oil can stick to their fur and cause a reaction in someone who pets them.
• Wash your skin in cool water as soon as possible if you come in contact with a poisonous plant. The sooner you cleanse the skin, the greater the chance you can remove the plant oil.
• Use the topical product "Ivy Block" if you know you will come in contact with the poisonous plants.

Tips for Treatment
Do not scratch the blisters. Bacteria from under your fingernails can cause infection. You can relieve the itch by:

• using wet compresses or soaking in cool water.
• using topical steroids or oral corticosteroids; prescribed by your physician.

Notify a Medical Professional

• If you have a temperature
• If there is pus, soft yellow scabs, or tenderness on the rash.
• If the itching gets worse or keeps you up at night.