There is a downside to the beautiful weather that spring brings: allergic skin reactions like poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac are going around.
At Louisiana's Lake Charles Urgent Care, Dr. Jay Marque says he is treating patients every day with side effects of irritant dermatitis, caused by these poisonous plants.
Dr. Marque says lots of plants can cause that reaction, but it is the urushoil oil in poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac that can cause a delayed hypersensitivity and bring people to the doctor looking for relief.
"Usually a rash will show up in one to three days. It lasts for up to three weeks and it usually peaks around a week," said Dr. Marque. "It can cause lots of blistering, scratching, and sometimes those blisters will ooze and people will think that it's contagious, but it's actually not contagious, it's just an inflammatory reaction."
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