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SCARSDALE, N.Y. - When Dr. Amy Newburger, a dermatologist and founder of Dermatology Consultants of Westchester in Scarsdale, was in her training in the early 1970s she was involved in a study of contact dermatitis on poison ivy.
The study offered $100 to participants who were willing to be exposed to poison ivy in order to test how long it took them to develop a rash. Newburger and her colleagues recruited 100 volunteers but were never able to complete the study.
"We couldn't do the study because there was a 99 percent dropout rate. They all gave the money back," said Newburger. Newburger told that story as a testament to how itchy and uncomfortable Poison Ivy is.
"It is very, very, very itchy," said Newburger. "It is a monstrosity."
Poison ivy, originally brought to America by English colonists, consists of three pointed leaflets with the longest leaf in the middle. The leaves edges are smooth or toothed and vary greatly in size. Poison ivy is green during the summer months and turns colors in the autumn.
"It is a beautiful vine," said Newburger. "The leaves turn a beautiful orange and red in the fall."
This decorative vine causes sensitivity to 98 percent of people that encounter it and causes a rash on second contact. Irritation comes out within the first four-to-12 hours of contact and can continue for up to a week. If the contact with Poison Ivy is brief - from just brushing by it - the rash appears in a linear group and looks like insect bites.
How intense of a rash depends on how much resin the allergen in poison ivy gets on the person. Once the rash comes out it is not contagious to touch, however, poison ivy that remains on inanimite objects is contagious, according to Newburger.
"It is not just direct contact with poison ivy. It is contact with things that have had contact," said Newburger. Newburger said she once saw a woman who got it from washing her husband's clothes that had resin on them.
"You have to be mindful of what you're wearing and what you are handling," said Newburger.
Ivyblock, Stokogard and Ivy Shield are all products Newburger recommends to protect against poison ivy. These products are applied before going outside and will protect for about eight hours. Stokogard also makes a cleanser that can prevent a rash after contact if used within two hours.
Do you know of places in your community that have Poison Ivy? Please leave comments below.
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