Zanfel Poison Oak Treatment

A product that is somewhat popular when it comes to treating poison oak rashes is Zanfel. This product is a topical solution formulated to wash the traces of urushiol in the skin and to treat the common symptoms of a rash (redness, blistering and itching).

I haven’t tried out this alternative yet (luckily I haven’t suffered from a rash in a while), but it looks interesting because it promises to relieve symptoms in just 30 seconds.  Trust me, last time I got a rash I was really looking for a product like this!

According to their webpage, Zanfel will help treating the symptoms of poison oak rash by “removing the toxin from the dermal layers so that the body may immediately begin healing, and will no longer attack itself.”

The best thing about it that is safe and effective for all people, so even if you are pregnant you can use it to alleviate the itching and pain.

I have to say, this sounds too good to be true. I have tried other products in the past with similar claims with little to no results.  But after seeing the popularity of the product and the amount of positive results from Amazon, I’m intrigued…

Have you tried Zanfel?

How to Identify Poison Oak

Sure, it is always nice to rest in the arms of Mother Nature, but what happens if you come across poison oak? If you don’t know the answer, it has to do with suffering, swelling and itching, learning to identify poison oak is very important if you spend tie outdoors a lot.

Many people go camping unaware that danger has not only the shape of a bear or a fox, but also the shape of a beautiful flower. Poison ivy and poison oak look very beautiful, but upon contact they produce a severe allergic reaction that leads to the development of swelling and blistering. With a simple search online you can find pictures that will help you identify poison oak, but you’ll also notice that they may have different colors; and well, throughout the year, the leaves turn yellow, orange and red, but the plant is the same.

Treatment is a must if you do not want to endure the torture of the rash every night and day. Here in this site I’ve already discussed a lot of treatment options and poison oak cures; know though, that these cures are meant to alleviate the symptoms not to completely erase the rash, this will happen once your skin has recovered.

Bentonite Clay Poison Oak Remedy

The bentonite clay poison oak cure has been around for quite some time. Like other home remedies, it is aimed at relieving the symptoms of a poison oak rash and help drying up the blisters filled with a liquid.

Bentonite clay is a type of clay you can find in a lot of health food stores, this is the one that works best, although some people say that a good alternative is the liquid clay called “slip”, which you can buy in ceramic-related stores.

By applying the clay, you’ll be able to dry up the blisters, helping them to fall off, and allowing new skin to grow. It works faster than using oatmeal, which has the same effects. As with some home remedies, you’ll need to be extremely careful, so make sure you are using clean clay, or else you’ll be giving all that is need for an infection to spread!

Make Poison Oak Go Away

Having a tough time trying to make poison oak go away? If you’ve come across poison oak, you should know that there is not an easy and quick method to remove the rash, instead, all treatment – including medicines and home treatments – are aimed at providing you relief from the blistering and the itching, and also to help you speed up the recovery time, which can take around two weeks in mild cases.

You can make go away the itching and swelling by trying one of the options for poison oak cure such as:

Using topical corticosteroids on the rash. This option will provide relief for some time, helping you deal in a better way with the itching

Using cooling to relieve itching. Applying cool water to the affected areas can provide a lot of temporary relief. There are many ways you can employ this simple poison oak cure. You can apply cold compresses to the affected areas using a towel or a cloth, you can rub ice directly on the rashes, or you can use my favorite method, taking a bath with cool water in your bath tub. Some people add an oatmeal bath such as Aveeno to add even more relief.

Using calamine lotion. Calamine is a recommended remedy by doctors as it is free of zirconium and antihistamine ingredients. It can also help you drying up the skin and allowing re-growth of new healthy tissue.

How Soon Poison Oak Rash Appears?

The irritation of the skin triggered by a reaction to Urushiol (found in the resin of poison oak) usually appears within 48 hours after contact, and it can be pretty quickly – there are people who have developed the symptoms of the rash in just 30 minutes.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have people who have experienced the rash 14 days after the exposure, and usually in those cases where the rash takes more time to appear, the allergic reaction is more severe. The symptoms of a poison oak allergic reaction include redness, blistering, swelling and sever itching.

How long does it take to heal poison oak?

It depends on the severity of the case. In mild cases of poison oak, it will take a week or 10 days to fully heal the skin. In severe cases, it could take more than three weeks to get rid of the rash. If you have pale skin, you are more prone at developing the symptoms of a poison oak rash.

How to Prevent Poison Ivy and Poison Oak Rashes

Poison Ivy and Poison Oak share the same component called Urushiol which is found in the plant resins. This component is a toxin that is found in the surface of the leaves and stems of the plant. Contact with any part of the plant will lead to the development of the rash – which is an allergic reaction to Urushiol.

As an allergic reaction, it is understandable why not everyone who comes in contact with the plant develop the rash. Those people are few, around 1 out of 4 people, and their immunity will wear off over time after continued exposure. On the other hand the more allergic you are to the toxin, the worse the outbreak will get.

Learning how to prevent poison oak and poison ivy is obviously extremely important. You need to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, the more covered you are the better. Still, there may be some cases where you accidentally touch a poison oak plant; in these cases you need to act quickly and wash the affected area to eliminate all traces of Urushiol. If you act within 10 minutes, you may have higher chances of avoiding the rash.

In the same way, prevent your children to touch this plant by teaching them about the rash and showing them how to recognize poison ivy or poison oak.

Pictures of Poison Oak – Is It Poison Ivy?

Poison oak pictures really come in handy when you try to identify plants in your area! Most people stumble into poison oak mainly because they can’t recognize how it looks like, and thanks to the Internet this lack-of-information can be easily solved.

Still, many people are left confused when determining what plant are they talking about. “Is It Poison Ivy” is the most common question whenever we receive poison oak pictures. Here is a photo of what typically poison oak looks like:

If you see them, look around the are for other possible places of growth and avoid contact at all costs. Be sure to wash you clothes separately just in case.