Ring Around the Rosie Poison Ivy

Being a history buff, I was always amazed when I found out the origins behind famous sayings or songs. “Ring Around the Rosie” is a playfully sung song amongst kids as they dance in circles (or at least it was in my childhood generation). I was a little taken aback to realize the origin of the song is actually about the infamous Black Plague!

Well, there are many “rings” around rosy rashes, and there are some not so pleasant plant-related rashes that I’ve been seeing this summer as a pediatrician in Canton, MI. Many of these rashes are related to poison-ivy or other plants that are causing itchy rashes or dermatitis. With kids being outside and playing in the trees/bushes/grass, their skin comes across plant products that it reacts to as an allergen. Most rashes consist of small red bumps but some rashes like poison ivy will occur in streaks. Whenever a child touches fluid-filled lesions of a rash, they can spread the plant allergen, urushiol, to other parts of the body. The end result is more redness, swelling, and itchiness. Unfortunately, these rashes may last up to 2-3 weeks.

How can you best treat poison ivy and other plants dermatitis/rashes?

1. Cover the skin rash as much as possible to reduce scratching and irritation. The more the kids see or can access the skin- the more they scratch!

2. Use over the counter Benadryl cream or hydrocortisone cream on the spots that are most itchy. Calamine lotion can also be tried.

3. If the child is over the age of two, you can give liquid Children's Benadryl to control the itch factor. Follow the recommended dose on the bottle and please remember, Benadryl or diphenhydramine can make your child act irritable before it makes them sleepy!

4. Wash your hands after handling the rash and anything that touched it so you don’t spread the rash to yourself. Wash all clothes the child was wearing that could have come into contact with the plant that caused the rash.

5. There are some over the counter products that bring relief for poison ivy- “Zanfel.” Use at your own discretion and contact your pediatrician for guidance.

6. Seek care from your pediatrician if the rash worsens by the 3rd or 4th day. As a pediatrician, I tend to sometimes give other antihistamines or steroids (topical or oral) to relieve the child from an itchy rash.

Until next time,

Dr. Sana Syed

Photo by Tania Melnyczuk on Unsplash