Poison oak, ivy, and sumac are toxic plants that will cause a serious itchy skin rash called contact dermatitis if they come in contact with your flesh.  The uncomfortable, itchy, and red rash will show up in streaks or lines and contains poison filled bumps or blisters.

This rash is the end product when you have come in contact with the oil found in these poisonous plants.  The entire plant is poisonous including, berries, flowers, stems, roots, and leaves.  Even indirect contact can cause contamination. The oil is an allergen, therefore the rash in allergic reaction to the plants. You can get poison oak by gardening tools, pet fur, and even your clothes can carry the urushiol.  Not everyone who comes in contact with these plants will develop the rash though.

Symptoms you may have been in contact are: fluid filled blisters, hives or small bumps, itchy areas on your skin. The rash usually shows up 8-48 hours after contact, but it has been known to show up 5 hours up until 15 days. If it is your first time to become infected by the plant it can take up to a week for symptoms to show up. Bumps will continue to appear in different parts of your body that has come in contact with the plant directly.  Poison oak rash treatment can help speeding up recovery.

Contrary to most myths, you can not spread it after it appears. It may seem that new bumps are developing , but either you touched something that had the oil on it, or it may still be developing. Once you wash the oil off your skin it is not contagious.

The more oil you touch, the worse your skin reaction will become. Different people react differently to the urushiol. Some are extremely allergic while others feel no affects. Some cases of severe reaction should head to the hospital as soon as possible. These include: swelling of eyelids, genitals, neck, face or mouth and large blisters with fluid puss.

The poison oak rash certainly is no fun, but make sure you wash it off and throw any clothes that may have touched it into the washer.