Hey, poison ivy sensitivity definitely has a genetic component. Some people can be exposed to a little bit of the oil and be fine, others can get inflamed from what seems like a single molecule of the stuff.
Two pieces of advice to live a normal life:
- Buy some "Zanfel" cream from the pharmacy and have it on hand. If you get a rash, forget about steroids or any of the other crap, just use Zanfel. It's expensive, but it works, and pretty much provides immediate relief and can actually remove the oil from sensitive skins. (If your rash was coming back after treatment with steroids, I bet it's because the oil was never actually fully gone, you need to use Zanfel for that)
- Stop eating or touching mangos or cashews. They have urushoil in the skin and the amount is small enough not to bother most people. But... if you are sensitive, best to avoid those.
