About Allergies: Beat The Poison Oak Itch This Summer

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Allergies Allergies Symptoms / Diagnosis Treatment Coping From Daniel More, MD, your Guide to Allergies Summer is a time for outdoor activities -- many of us will spend countless hours hiking, camping, and swimming the next couple of months. Whether at a campsite, park, or in our own backyard, the great outdoors beckons to spend time under the warm blue skies and cool starry nights. Along with these outdoor excursions, we're bound to come into contact with a certain 3-leafed plant that is also enjoying the summer -- poison oak, poison ivy poison sumac. These plants can leave an itchy, bumpy rash within a few hours to days after touching the skin. And, the more we come into contact with these plants, the faster the rash comes on, and the previous areas of itchy rashes can return, thanks to the immune system's memory with this type of allergic skin rash. All About Poison Oak, Poison Ivy, and Poison Sumac Many of us have come into contact with poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac at one time or another. Maybe this exposure came as a result of hiking or camping, or from trying to get the backyard weeds under control. Of course, there's a chance that we might not remember when we actually came into contact with these plants, but we certainly can’t forget the itchy rash that came as the result. Search Related Topics:  itching  allergic rashes  eczema Is There a Cure For Poison Oak? While the rashes caused by poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac are treatable, (usually with topical corticosteroids or oral/injected corticosteroids, in severe cases), there is no way to prevent these reactions from occurring aside from avoiding contact with these plants. Topical Steroid Creams for Poison Ivy opical steroids are anti-inflammatory medications used to treat various skin conditions. These medications can reduce inflammation, itching, flaking and oozing when applied to the skin one or more times a day. There are a number of types of topical steroids available by prescription, as well as hydrocortisone acetate 1% cream, which is available over the counter without a prescription. Related Searches Asthma Allergies What Are Allergies Allergy or Allergies Skin Allergies Pollen Allergies Featured Articles Anaphylaxis Allergy Shots and Drops (Immunotherapy) Alternative Therapies in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergies Glossary of Terms Information on the Most Common Allergy Medications Blog   More from About.com Sign-up for Shareables! An every-morning rundown of the day in history, headlines and trends produced by your pals at About.com. Please sign up it's free (of course), we think you will like it! Want More From About.com Check out our social page tailored to your interest! This newsletter is written by: Daniel More, MD Allergies Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Allergies newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. If you would like to unsubscribe from all newsletters sent from About.com, please send an email to optout@about.com with "Unsubscribe" as the subject line. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2014 About.com   Must Reads What are Allergies? Symptoms of Allergies Diagnosis of Allergies Treatment of Allergies Preventing Allergies   Follow me on: Advertisement