What will happen if you touch poison oak?
Very often, people don't notice that they've been exposed to poison oak because the symptoms don't appear for up to 48 hours after the initial contact. Unfortunately, this can lead to the end rash being much more severe – because as most doctors will tell you, the best remedy for poison oak is prevention! If you notice that you've been in contact with poison oak, you can still prevent the rash from appearing by taking fast action and washing off the harmful oil that the plant deposits on your skin. You're only going to notice that you've been exposed to poison oak, however, if you know what it looks like and you can actually see it happening! The urushiol (the oil that causes the painful rash) on poison oak is invisible to the naked eye, and because your skin won't suddenly break out in a visible rash as soon as you've been exposed, you won't know that it's happened unless you've spotted the plant itself and realized that you touched it.
None of this is good news. Once the poison oak rash appears, there's no way of preventing the rest of the symptoms. The rash is caused by the plant's urushiol, which, if it is not immediately washed off, binds to the skin and is absorbed. Once absorbed, it causes an allergic reaction in the majority of people, known as urushiol induced contact dermatitis. You can purchase some specially-designed remedies that aim to kill the oil and heal the symptoms, but different people experience different strengths of reactions, and there's no guarantee that what will work for one person is going to work for another. Once the oil has been absorbed by the skin, the allergic reaction (while seldom dangerous) can be very difficult to control.
Your first sign that you might have been exposed to poison oak is most likely to be the appearance of a red rash with raised bumps, most likely in more than one place on your body. Often, there will be fluid-filled blisters and sores, which will leak fluid (and then turn crusty) if they break open.The rash will probably grow redder and more widespread, often breaking out in new places. Many people mistakenly worry that they are spreading the rash by scratching it and transferring the toxic oil, but this is not the case – once the rash has appeared, it's a sign that the oil has already been absorbed by the skin, and it can only be transferred if it's on the skin's surface. It is not contained in the fluid oozed by blisters. However, as well as having been most likely absorbed in different quantities by different patches of skin, urushiol can also spread internally, which causes the rash to surface in unexpected places. You may also have transferred it to various parts of your body through touch after the initial exposure to poison oak, when the oil was still on the surface of your skin.
The main identifiable feature of poison oak rash is, of course, the signature itching. This irritation is caused by your body's allergic reaction to urushiol. Blood vessels close to the skin's surface expand and leak, which causes the red appearance of the skin, a burning sensation, and various degrees of itchiness. For most people, the itching is the worst part of the reaction, and the majority of poison oak sufferers seek relief through remedies ranging from specialist topical medicines to general lotions such as aloe vera and calamine. These work to shrink the blood vessels and cool the skin, reducing the severity of the itching.
Other symptoms of poison oak exposure can include swelling, particularly in sensitive areas such as around the eyes. Unless poison oak has gotten into the eyes or mouth (been swallowed), it is not usually necessary to see a doctor, as there's not really much that can be done. Most sufferers simply soothe the symptoms as best they can with lotions and medicines, and wait for the rash to disappear in its own time.
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