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A member asked:
How long does it take for poison oak rash to appear on the skin?
9 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Not immediate: The reaction to poison ivy and poison oak is called "delayed hypersensitivity" because it usually takes 48-72 hours for a rash to start after the exposure.
Answered 4/21/2017
5.7k views
Poison ivy: It may take 3-10 days to develop a rash from poison ivy/oak/sumac the first time. However with each exposure the reaction becomes faster and stronger because the body stores white blood cells called "memory cells" to be more prepared for the allergy next time. With repeated exposures, the reactions can become quite severe and may develop within a day.
Answered 7/6/2016
5.1k views
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