Poison Oak Health Video

Contracting poison oak can be torturous, but remedies and treatments are available. Learn about poison oak from a doctor in this video on skin care.

Take Action

Use hydrocortisone
Soak in an oatmeal bath
Scrub under nails
Seek medical advice if symptoms persist

About this Author

Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, the author of the book Six Weeks to Sensational Skin, is a board certified dermatologist who has made numerous appearances on television shows such as Good Morning America. She holds a degree from Hunter College in New York, an M.D. from Downstate University at SUNY, and did her residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Ciraldo has been a board-certified dermatologist since 1982, and is currently a voluntary professor at the University of Miami, where she runs a clinic in cosmetic dermatology.

DR. LORETTA CIRALDO: Hi, I'm Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, dermatologist and author of "6 Weeks to Sensational Skin." Now, poison oak is something that we see much more commonly during the summer months. And it actually comes from maybe being out in the woods. You might have been hiking. Sometimes, you could be playing paintball or doing some other kind of sport or at camping. And interestingly, typically you're going to see the rash of poison oak develop about anywhere from 12 to 24, maybe even up to 48 hours after you've come in contact with the poison oak. And what you want to remember about it is that it can be an exceedingly itchy rash. And many times, you need to direct your attention to getting that itch under control. Because if you don't get it under control, you start to scratch it and then you can spread it. And what you want to do too is start out by getting some oatmeal baths, bathing in tepid oatmeal baths, getting some over-the-counter cortisone cream, putting ice on the area. But, if you should see as the days go on that this rash spreads, as it often can, in other words without added exposure, without going back into the woods, rashes like poison oak and even poison ivy and sumac can start to spread on your body. And if you should see this happening, then I absolutely want you to call to your family physician or your dermatologist because you are someone who will need to be given prescription treatment, whether that's prescription topical treatment in the form of good topical cortisone cream or sometimes, in extensive cases, you may even be put on a small dose of prescription cortisone pills. The good news is that we can definitely manage poison oak, ivy and sumac but you need to seek medical attention sooner instead of later if you see that it's spreading, and best of luck to you.