I believe it depends where you are in your exposure/recovery process.
To me it is kind of like this:
First if you have urushiol oil on your face/mucus membrane areas or have potentially inhaled this stuff-
Go to Doctors Office ASAP.
Initial exposure to 48 hrs. -
At this time your goal is to eradicate any remaining oil in your environment to prevent re-exposure. You should also try and remove as much oil from your skin as possible. (Once bonded, the oil is very difficult to remove from your skin)
During this period you should only wash with Cold water and an oil-breaking agent to wash away any remaining urushiol oil. (I choose Teknu and or dishwashing detergent) Wash often...use lots of detergent!
Do not use hot water during this period, as it tends to OPEN your pores, allowing further exposure to the oil. I choose not to wash with rubbing alcohol during this period for the same reason. IMO-rubbing alcohol will also remove the natural oils in your skin, leaving you even more susceptible to re-exposure.
Wash everything you come in contact with very frequently. Treat all items that you touch during this period as if it has urushiol oil on it. Only use towels, sheets, pillow covers, and clothing etc. once and wash immediately. Wash any and all materials that were possibly exposed touched during this period. (Car steering wheel, Keys, yard tools etc. use grease cutting agents and toss rags)
>48hours since exposure and you have washed a zillion times.-
At this point we will assume that you have removed all of this nasty urushiol oil from you environment.
Concentrate on controlling the skin damage and discomfort. (Itch) I feel it is perfectly fine to use hot water for temporary relief at this point. In theory the heat should increases blood flow to the area, which could help, increase the body natural reactions to the damaged skin? The water should NOT be so hot as to actually scald your skin! I recommend applying some topical antiseptic/drying agent after the hot water be applied.
I feel it is best to try to NOT pop the blisters; the open wounds could leads to infections and scaring. I do not believe the fluid inside these blisters will cause any further spread of the oil/rash.
It is important to eat well, stay hydrated and keep up on your vitamin C intake to help fight infections. I find staying cool during the recovery period helps too. If you have a pool handy...swimming always seems to provide some relief too.
Well ...I hope this answers you question. Sorry my reply was soooo wordy! :)
Please note that I am not a doctor and I did not sleep at a holiday inn last eve.
If I knew so much.... I would have known better than to trim a poison Sumac bush like the itchy-blister covered fool I am!
This is why I was reading around here this am.
Hope you have many itch-free days!
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