Poison Ivy Treatment

Treating poison ivy might be difficult for you especially if you don’t have knowledge about how to use home remedies to help you with the skin rash. Skin infection specialists usually recommend you use corticosteroids which will help with the itching sensation, and can usually be purchased over the counter at your local pharmacy. However, this might not be feasible as medical prescriptions are continuing to rise in price and the cost of any medical help is getting very expensive. Good thing to note is that there are home remedies which can be safe to use in treating poison ivy. Below you will find some of the home remedies for poison ivy.

One of the things you can do help bring more comfort is to use cold compress. This helps you to avoid continuous swelling and lessening the redness of the rashes. To use it, gently dip a wash cloth in ice-cold water. Then, carefully press it against the poison ivy rash and leave it there for about fifteen to thirty minutes. Be careful not to leave it on your skin too long and you should judge for yourself how you are feeling. You can add more ice if necessary, in case the water heats up to room temperature. Then, repeat the procedure throughout the day in order to monitor the poison ivy infection.
Aloe vera is also known as the traditional treatment for treating poison ivy. This helps to soothe irritated skin and to treat minor skin infections like cuts and burns.

Aloe vera has polysaccharides and gibberellins that aid to lessen inflammation. It also contains salicylic acid that helps to reduce the pain. You can treat poison ivy by applying aloe vera gel four times a day directly to the infected skin. The aloe vera may be a bit sticky and have a slight smell.

Another treatment for poison ivy is the colloidal oatmeal. This helps to moisturize the skin and get rid of the swelling and itching on the infected skin. You can use this treatment by adding it to clean water and then applying directly to the infected area and leave it for about fifteen to thirty minutes. Hot water helps to alleviate the pain, but sometimes it is not really recommend as it has the tendency to dry up the skin and could lead to exacerbate the poison ivy. So, you have to use cool water and dab with towel. Repeat the procedure several times during the day.