Things You'll Need:
- Calamine lotion
- Colloidal oatmeal
- Doctor or healthcare professional
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Step 1
Determine whether you have come in contact with a poison sumac plant before you use calamine lotion. Poison sumac is a shrub that can grow to 30 feet tall, and has reddish-green leaves that grow in pairs on a red stalk. The poison sumac also yields flowers that are yellow and green, and berries that are white or gray.
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Step 2
Rinse your skin and clothing immediately after coming in contact with poison sumac. While the rashes might not appear for 1 to 3 days, you can reduce their severity by washing your skin with cool water and soap within 15 to 20 minutes of exposure. This may not completely eliminate the rashes, but it will reduce their intensity.
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Step 3
Use calamine lotion to treat the rashes as soon as they appear. Apply the lotion liberally to all areas of the rash so that the calamine lotion will harden and form a protective crust around the blisters. Try to keep the affected areas exposed to fresh air, as opposed to covering them with bandages or clothing.
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Step 4
Alternate the use of calamine lotion with cool oatmeal baths to treat your poison sumac rashes. Colloidal oatmeal, which consists of rolled oats milled into a fine powder, can be dissolved into bathtub full of cool to lukewarm water in order to provide additional relief from itching. Soak in the bath up to 30 minutes, at least twice a day, followed by re-applications of calamine lotion.
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Step 5
See your doctor of health care professional immediately if you do not experience relief from poison sumac rashes within 2 to 3 weeks. A worsening of symptoms may indicate that the rashes and blisters have become infected, or that blood poisoning may have occurred. Your doctor may prescribe oral steroids to control the rash quickly and thoroughly.
