Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac Information Center

Rashes

A Word of Warning

This section contains pictures of various rashes. To be honest, allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) rashes are pretty gross. These rashes have been caused by contact with urushiol oil (as in poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac) or some other irritant such as oxalate crystals (as in virginia creeper). You are warned and I suggest that lunch be held off until sometime after viewing ;-). SEND US YOUR RASH PICTURES! click here for the upload form.

NOTE: New submissions will always appear at the top of the page.


Beware of Pet's Fur!

Heather Wade RashSubmitted by: Heather Wade

Here are Heather's comments:

I am very allergic and very aware of staying AWAY from poison ivy plants. Since I am fairly sure I was never around the plant, I think this rash is a result of my dog getting in a patch and carrying it into the house on his fur.


Poison Oak Nightmare

Submitted by: Anne Kelley
Here are Anne's comments: I got this while trying to dig out blackberries in and under our trees. I missed spotting the poison oak, and am now suffering from it! Since I can't take hormones at this time, prednizone is not an option and I'm apparently stuck with waiting it out.
Anne Kelley Rash

Long Sleeves Rode Up

Kim Hill RashSubmitted by: Kim Hill

Here are Kim's comments:

A picture of my arm after wearing gloves and a long sleeved shirt (which "rode up") and scrubbing with soap after exposure while I was pulling plants and running roots in my SW Michigan yard. Yuck. (see my photos in the identification section).

You can find Kim's poison ivy plant picture here.


9 Year Old Suffers

Submitted by: Leaha Proffitt

Here are Leaha's comments: More photos of 9 year old daughters poison oak misery. We live on the southern tip of NC. She received this on her face, legs, and arms.
Leaha Proffitt Rash

Leaha Proffitt Rash


For the Sake of Science

Hunter Rash

Hunter Rash

Hunter Rash

Submitted by: Hunter

Hunter did quite an experiment while suffering through a poison ivy rash. You can find his comments on the Q&A Board as well. Here is one of his messages. Here are Hunter's comments:

I've kinda taken it upon myself to show the most painful bits of poison Ivy I can. Good thing this rash doesnt go much further down :) The "X"'s are part of an experiment.


Poison Ivy Nightmare

Submitted by: Craig Clayton

Here are Craig's comments: Some pictures which speak by themselves!

Boy - don't they though! Craig sent quite a few pictures of this nightmare.

Craig Clayton Rash

Craig Clayton Rash

Craig Clayton Rash


The Rash That Made History

Alan Porteous RashSubmitted by: Alan Porteous

My reaction? Ewwwwwww..... that's a rash. Here are Alan's comments:

"Got this after wandering into the bushes on an evening walk. Total time on walk when this happened...10 minutes. Lasting effects...4 weeks. Number of doctors who said this was the worst case they ever saw...4. I have some good scarring as well. This picture is of my leg one week after I came in contact with poison ivy. It turns out I have a very bad systemic reaction. It certainly complicated the house boat vacation we were on."


Poison Ivy Victim

Bill Bowers RashSubmitted by: Bill Bowers

Thanks, Bill for a picture we can all relate to.  Bill graciously titled this entry "Poison Ivy Victim". Boy isn't that the truth!

Danger While Weeding

Submitted by: Cindy Matchett

Here's Cindy's comments: I have numerous areas of reaction to this vine all over myself. The hardest affected areas were my legs. This is a picture of the reaction after 1 week of oral prednisone treatment. The rash is still read and ichy, but the the seeping has stopped.

Cindy also sent us a picture of the vine. Click here to see the culprit that Cindy found while weeding.

Cindy Matchett Rash

Cindy Matchett Rash


Now That's a Rash!

Laurie Beth RashSubmitted by: Laurie Beth

Laurie seems to have gotten into just a wee bit of poison ivy.

I got poison ivy last year so bad that I had to have a steroid shot and medication for about 2 weeks. In this picture, the oozing was so bad that when I went to bed at night, I would wrap this part of my leg with a towel and when I would wake up, the towel would be soaked.