Summertime brings more outdoor activities, including camping and hiking, along with exposure to poison oak, ivy and sumac. Contact with these plants can cause itchy, blistering rashes, called contact dermatitis.
The rash is a result of oily chemicals in the plant, called urushiol, which make the skin get red, blister and itchy. Symptoms start within a day or so of exposure to the plant, and can last for many days without treatment. The oil can be transmitted from person to person, pet to person, and on items such as clothing and garden tools. The rash itself is not contagious once the oil has been cleaned from the skin.
There are many other causes of contact dermatitis, including cosmetics, topical medications and dental materials. Contact with these materials may cause a rash that resembles poison ivy.
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