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Top 10 Myths About
Poison Ivy, page 3
Myth #7: Keeping covered outdoors will prevent
poison ivy rash.
Fact: While keeping covered in the outdoors is
crucial, it is not a foolproof way to protect your skin
against developing a poison ivy rash. Urushiol oil can
stick to clothes, shoes, garden tools and sporting
equipment that you touch, and inadvertently spread to
uncovered parts of your body.
Myth #8: You have to touch a poison ivy, oak or
sumac plant to get a rash.
Fact: The most common way people contract an
allergic rash from these plants is by touching an item
that has urushiol oil on it, including garden tools,
camping equipment, boots and even pet fur. Since
urushiol can stay active for years, it’s important to
wash any item that has come in contact with poison oak,
ivy or sumac with soap and water, or use a cleaner such
as IvyCleanse.
Myth #9: “Leaves of three, leave them be.”
Fact: This is true for poison ivy, but not poison
oak and poison sumac. Although poison ivy has 3 leaves
per cluster, poison oak has 3 to 5 leaves, and poison
sumac has 7 to 13 leaves on a branch. |
