Hi Laura -
While for most, the first rash takes 4 to 7 or more days to appear it's not out of the question for the rash to occur sooner. I would like to mention something that could be a factor here - swimmer's itch. Here's a little info on that: Swimmer's Itch - Cercarial dermatitis. Interesting read.
My first poison ivy rash was more than 20 years ago so I'll have to feign ignorance on that one. I really don't remember how long it took to break out. I do know that now I can break out in less than 12 hours :-(. The reaction to urushiol oil (the chemical contained in poison ivy plants) can vary from person to person and from time to time. Meaning that your next exposure may be worse or not. On average, if you are re-exposed soon you will likely have a worse reaction. Worse may mean that you have more blisters on a wider area or the rash might last longer. It doesn't mean life-threatening (usually). My personal experience has been that my absolute worst reaction was several years ago. Over the last 2 years, the rashes have been small and easily managed. Actually I should be knocking on wood as I haven't had a urushiol oil induced rash yet this year (even with my pulling up several vines from amongst the azaleas). It just depends and its highly variable.
As for the last question, yup it could be cleared up 2 weeks after exposure. Average reaction runs 10 to 14 days. |
