Can Poison Oak Be Spread By Scratching?
The rash doesn’t appear until after the oil is absorbed into your skin, because it is caused by your body’s immune system. So the answer is no, once you get the rash, you can’t spread it around by scratching. The oil that seeps from your wounded body isn’t urushiol, its secreted by your body. The reason most people think it will spread is because of secondary infection. You touch a poison oak plant, the oil is on your hands. You rub your face, it gets there. The oil is spread. Now after a while, there isn’t as much oil to spread around, so some parts get hit more heavily. What this means is, the rash appears soon is some spots, and takes a couple of days in other spots. This gives the illusion that you’ve spread the rash by scratching or whatever. Just make sure you aren’t getting brand-new infection from your clothing. Whenever I go hiking, as soon as I get home I put all my clothes, shoes, everything in a bag, and wash it all. Only through extreme paranoia can you avoid poison oak. T
