What Do Poison Ivy Plants Look Like?
Poison Ivy is not the only cause of painful skin irritations. Poison ivy happens to be the only one major irritant plants that always has three leaves, one on each side and one in the center. Poison Ivy leaves are shiny with smooth or slightly notched edges. Poison Oak looks similar, but the leaves are larger and more rounded like an oak leaf. They have a textured, hairy surface. There may be groups of three, five, or seven leaves. Poison Sumac leaves grow in clusters of seven to 13 leaves, with one by itself at the end.

Where Does Poison Ivy Grow?
Poison ivy, oak, and sumac grow in wooded or marshy areas throughout the US. They have a sticky, long-lasting oil called urushiol that causes an itchy, blistering rash after it touches your skin. Even slight contact, like brushing up against the leaves, can leave the oil behind. Poison ivy and poison oak grow as vines or shrubs. Poison sumac is a shrub or tree.

What Should I Do If I Touch Poison Ivy?
Acting quickly after touching poison ivy, oak, or sumac may save you much pain and discomfort. You may be able to avoid a poison ivy rash or a poison oak rash or lessen its effect by washing your skin with a poison plant wash and then rinsing thoroughly. Immediately wash the part of your skin that touched the plant with one of the following: Rubbing alcohol, Poison ivy wash (cleanser, soap, or towelettes), Dishwashing soap, or Laundry detergent. Wash your skin gently. Scrubbing can cause a rash because you rub the plant’s oil, which is what leads to a rash, into your skin. Thoroughly rinse with plenty of cool water. This removes the rubbing alcohol or other product from your skin. Leaving one of these products on your skin could irritate your skin, causing a different type of rash. Also be sure to wash under your nails. This will remove any oil that may have gotten trapped there.

What Does The Rash Look Like?
It may take some time for the rash to appear. A rash can develop in a few hours if you’ve had a rash from one of these plants before. If you’ve never had a rash from poison ivy, oak, or sumac, it can take 2 to 3 weeks before you see a rash. The skin usually itches intensely where the rash will appear. The itch can be so intense that it wakes you from a sound sleep. Shortly after your skin starts to itch, the rash appears. Most people develop an itchy, red, and blistering rash. If you have blisters, they break open and leak fluid. The blisters crust over, and the rash clears in 2 to 3 weeks. The rash will clear without treatment, but it can be extremely itchy until it clears completely.

Why Does The Rash Seem to Spread?
While it may look like the rash is spreading, what’s most likely happening is that you’re developing one or more new rashes. This happens because the urushiol (the oil from these plants that causes the rash) came in contact with more than one area of your skin. Typically, the skin with the most oil on it develops a rash first. Skin with less oil tends to react later. Many people also mistakenly believe that when they touch their rash, they can spread the rash from one part of their body to another. You cannot spread the rash. Sometimes you can spread the oil causing the rash. Your skin absorbs the oil quickly, so you can only spread the oil from one part of your skin to another for a short amount of time.

How Long Does a Rash Last?
For people who have had previous rashes from poison ivy, the current rash tends to last 1 to 14 days before it clears on its own. Those who have never had the rash before may have a rash last for 21 days or longer before it goes away. The rash is not contagious, but the oil causing the rash can be spread to others if not washed away quickly. The oil can also be spread by clothing, pets or working utensils such as rakes and shovels.

How Can I Treat Poison Ivy Rash?
If you have any of the following, go to the emergency room immediately:

• Difficulty breathing or swallowing
• A rash around one or both eyes, your mouth, or on your genitals
• Swelling on your face, especially if an eye swells shut
• Itching that worsens or makes it impossible to sleep
• Rashes on most of your body
• A fever

These are signs of a severe reaction that require immediate medical care.

You can treat the rash at home if you:

• Have a mild rash
• Developed a rash on a small section of skin
• Are certain that the rash is due to poison ivy, oak, or sumac

For poison ivy treatment, immediately rinse your skin with lukewarm, soapy water. If you can rinse your skin immediately after touching poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac, you may be able to rinse off some of the oil. If not washed off, the oil can spread from person to person and to other areas of your body. Wash your clothing. Thoroughly wash all of the clothes you were wearing when you came into contact with the poisonous plant. The oil can stick to clothing, and if it touches your skin, it can cause another rash.

Do not scratch, as scratching can cause an infection. Leave blisters alone. If blisters open, do not remove the overlying skin, as the skin can protect the raw wound underneath and prevent infection.

What Can I Do To Relieve The Itch?
Take short, lukewarm baths. To ease the itch, take short, lukewarm baths in a colloidal oatmeal preparation, which you can buy at your local drugstore. You can also draw a bath and add one cup of baking soda to the running water. Taking short, cool showers may also help.

Use calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream. Calamine lotion can reduce the itch. If you have a mild case, a hydrocortisone cream or lotion is another treatment that can alleviate the itch.
Apply cool compresses to the itchy skin. You can make a cool compress by wetting a clean washcloth with cold water and wringing it out so that it does not drip. Then, apply the cool cloth to the itchy skin.
Consider taking antihistamine pills. These pills can help reduce itching. You should not apply an antihistamine to your skin, as doing so can worsen the rash and the itch.

If your rash is not improving after 7 to 10 days, or you think your rash may be infected, see a board-certified dermatologist. A dermatologist can treat your rash and any infection and help relieve the itch.

Dermatologists emphasize that you only treat the rash if you’re absolutely certain that poison ivy, oak, or sumac caused it. If you’ve never had a poison ivy rash, see a doctor for a diagnosis.

Source https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/itchy-skin/poison-ivy

Children can often experience a variety of strange skin rashes and outbreaks of eczema on face, limbs or torso. These outbreaks can be the result of heat rashes, scabies rashes or even allergic reaction rashes. A recent survey of products labeled as hypoallergenic for children found that about half of shampoos and almost 44% of soaps used upon children contained cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), a suspected allergen and sensitizer causing hypersensitivity reactions in people with atopic dermatitis (AD) and allergic contact dermatitis. This research was recently presented in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD).

Researchers referred to a previous study showing an association between contact sensitivity with CAPB and people with a history of AD. This previous study was supported by more current results from a study of pediatric patients who had reactions to CAPB and were exclusively in patients with AD.

This recent pediatric dermatology study looked at children’s shampoo and soap products available on online databases of six of the biggest retailers, and analyzed the top 20 best-selling products for each retailer in 2018. Of the unique products, CAPB was found to be an ingredient in 52% (39 of 75) of the shampoos and 44% (29 of 66) of the soap products. Each of these products contained the term “hypoallergenic” on the product itself or in the product’s description.

Researchers observed that CAPB is a prevalent sensitizer in pediatric patients and should be avoided in products used by patients with AD. CAPB is not included in the most common of allergy tests. Parents, physicians, pediatricians and dermatologists should be aware of common products containing CAPB. These products shoule b avoided, especially by children who suffer with AD.

Speak to your dermatologist if you are concerned about your child and rashes to see if CAPB is a contributing factor to your child’s condition. Also consider some of our clinical trials that focus on solutions for Atopic Dermatitis (AD) Call 817-795-7546 x339 or email studies@acderm.com for more information.

Source JAAD, December 2019

A number of recent studies have highlighted the potential connection between the skin’s microbiotic environment and conditions such as rosacea. Rosacea is considered a complex systemic inflammatory disease which often results in red blotches in the skin and can ofter include inflamed lesions, pustules, red spots on skin and what can appear like a rash on the face.

Rosacea has been shown to have a connection to intestinal (GI) problems in patients. Often microbiotic deficiencies in GI testing has shown a connection to potentially contributing to outbreaks of rosacea in patients. Such a relationship has led investigators to exam in the microbiotic environment of the skin of rosacea patients.

Researchers have found that the bacteria environment of the skin in rosacea patients is very different from that in healthy skin. Some bacteria species were very abundant that are not typically seen in uninvolved healthy skin and some bacteria were very much reduced.

For instance, researchers found that Campylobacter bacteria was very much abundant in patients with rosacea. Interestingly, the same bacteria was also to have been found many times in the gut microbiome in patients with ulcerative colitis and other GI diseases. Researchers are considering the similarity as to way explain the relationship between GI diseases and rosacea.

Prevotella bacteria, which has been linked to cardiovascular conditions including atherosclerotic plaques, were also found to be increased in the microbiome of rosacea skin. This may contribute to the increased association of cardiovascular disorders in rosacea patients. Interestingly, Acinetobacter bacteria were found to be very low in skin of rosacea patients, which may explain why allergic diseases tend to be more commonly seen in rosacea patients.

With this research, investigators are concluding that rosacea may need to be investigated as more than just a skin disease only anymore, especially with its increasingly clearer links to the microbiome and the associated systemic inflammatory diseases.

Past studies have demonstrated that antibiotics can exacerbate some of the GI symptoms associated with rosacea and certain types of antibiotics have an even greater link to some of these GI associations. Rosacea patients have a tendency for GI diseases and antibiotics may further exacerbate these illnesses.

Antibiotic stewardship is crucial. While patients may need antibiotics for rosacea, acne and many other skin conditions, doctors are concluding that it is very important to remain responsible when prescribing them to patients.

Another study dealing with Twins recently also showed the importance of the relationship of rosacea and the of the microbiome environment of the skin.

Patients with rosacea were shown to have a less diverse facial skin microbiome, according to 2017 study.

Depending on the subtype, patients with rosacea can present with symptoms of flushing, redness, pimples, pustules, and dilated blood vessels typically located on the central face. Among factors associated with symptoms is a possible inflammatory reaction to the skin microbiome. Researchers in this 2017 study highlighted some of these exacerbating factors and the importance of the microbiome in the treatment and management of rosacea patients.

Researchers conducted a study during the 2017 Twins Day Festival in which identical and fraternal twins with and without rosacea were surveyed on numerous parameters including history of rosacea as well as various environmental factors. Microbiome data was collected and analyzed and Rosacea evaluation was made by a board-certified dermatologist. The vast majority of participants with rosacea were assessed to have moderate to severe disease.

Results showed that individuals with rosacea are more likely to currently own pets, have fairer skin, and consume more alcohol than their control counterparts. Researchers found that although individuals with rosacea demonstrated a decreased variation in facial cutaneous microbiome compared to control, there was no significant difference in bacterial load in the facial cutaneous microbiome or enteral microbiome between rosacea or their counterpart controls.The amounts of bacteria did not really differ terribly much between the people with rosacea and the control population. However, it was the diversity and the variety of organisms that were found in the skin and to a lesser extent in the gut flora was of interest to investigators.

Data showed that there was a three- to four-fold decrease in abundance of facial cutaneous microbiomes in rosacea patients compared to control patients. In the gut microbiome, researchers found a significant reduction in abundance of other microbiomes and a six-fold increase in microbiome Prevotellaceae in rosacea compared to control.

The results from this study show a strong relationship between the microbiome of the skin and gut. Although much work still needs to be done, this data could be used to potentially help determine who might be more prone for inflammation. If potentially having the decreased diversity set the individual up for more inflammation, or vice versa where potentially organisms are lacking, maybe restoring the balance could decrease inflammation and improve rosacea symptoms.

At present, the genesis of rosacea symptoms remains unclear as to whether certain organisms are being missed, if there are certain organisms that perpetuate the inflammation in the skin, or if the inflammation itself leads to a decrease in the variety of organisms.

“Beyond an elusive probiotic pill to attempt to restore balance, one of the best thing rosacea patients can do is to practice good skin hygiene, regularly using sunscreen and moisturizer, and maintain a well-balanced diet. This way, patients could hopefully develop a healthy and even microbiome inside and outside of their body.

If you have struggled with rosacea or know someone who does, consider joining our upcoming Rosacea Clinical Trial. Call 817-795-746 extension 339 or email us at studies@acderm.com to see if you qualify.

(Source: Dermatology Times, July 2020)