# Poison Ivy or Oak - Hands Immune?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-or-oak-hands-immune/666206>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 14, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-or-oak-hands-immune/666206 "2013-08-14T12:51:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-or-oak-hands-immune/666206/1 "2013-08-14T12:51:29Z")

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After a long weekend of yard work I - you guessed it - got a nice little case of poison ivy. But while I have certainly spread it from my forearms where it originated to my lower abdomen and one ankle through scratching, I have no signs off it on my hands and more specifically the very fingers that have been doing all the spreading and certainly exposed the most… That seems odd to me.

Thinking back to other times I or my kids have had the rash, I have never seen it on hands or fingers and I wonder why?

Thoughts?

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**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-or-oak-hands-immune/666206/2 "2013-08-14T12:58:39Z")

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I am not a doctor, but I deal with a variety of minor skin-related conditions on a regular basis.

Palmar skin is different from the skin on the rest of your body, and isn’t subject to some of the irritants that affect the rest.

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**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-or-oak-hands-immune/666206/3 "2013-08-14T13:51:31Z")

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I’ve gotten poison ivy rashes on the back of my hands before, but yeah, thankfully, never the business side of the hands. Never really struck me as unusual before I read this. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-or-oak-hands-immune/666206/4 "2013-08-14T14:29:59Z")

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I’ve gotten it on palms and fingers before.

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**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-or-oak-hands-immune/666206/5 "2013-08-14T14:32:38Z")

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I learned on a Reddit link that it doesn’t spread by you scratching (and therefore spreading) it.

Take that for what you will.

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**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-or-oak-hands-immune/666206/6 "2013-08-14T17:44:29Z")

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Poison ivy rash is caused by urushiol, a sticky oily substance in the plant’s leaves. Get it on your hands, and you’ll spread the stuff to wherever you touch your skin during the time between getting it on your hands and washing them clean. I’ve had some miserable cases of it, but never on my palms. The blisters right at the edge of the back of the hand skin and the palm skin were really itchy, however.