I agree Kassle. My statement of 3-10 days was on average, but some people can break out faster. Also, you must take into consideration the thickness of the skin involved. The thinner the skin, the faster the oil will take hold and a reaction occur. The thing is, many people come in contact with stinging nettles which cause an immediate reaction, and they assume they have been in some poison ivy somewhere, and start bombarding their skin with all kinds of harmful remedies. Stinging Nettles plants cause very itchy red bumps to appear quickly, as they inject a poison under your skin by fine hairs on the plant. It usually goes away without treatment in a few days or less, unlike PI that usually takes several weeks to run it's course.
The original post stated she had thought she had poison ivy in her vagina. I have been a medical researcher for years and having close alliances with many doctors, was told it is very rare to have PI in mucous membranes (such as inside the mouth, nose,vagina, etc.) but it can, in some cases, more commonly break out very NEAR those areas (your eyelids, lips, etc. for example) Of course, if she inhaled the smoke of burning PI plants, then she could have it in her nasal passages, lungs, etc. which all are mucousal tissues, and that is very serious indeed and could require hospitalization. Logically, the reason it is unusual to get a rash of PI in your mucous membranes is because the mucous layer produced, being much thicker, protects the penetration of urushiol oil better than skin sebum. Her vulva and other private areas could be infected with PI, but I was referring to her inital question about her vagina, not the overall body rash. I feel very sorry for her and everyone who gets PI, especially in those areas. I hope you both get well very soon! [email protected] |
