Common Tecnu questions

Sea Otter Classic 2008 was once again a fantastic event. The weather was nice and the turnout was great. Many of the Sea Otter racers were more than happy to see the Tecnu exhibit since one of the courses was covered in poison oak. We had a multitude of suffering poison oak victims uncovering their rashes hoping for relief. We had plenty of Tecnu Extreme on hand so we sent them off to the bathroom with some so they could wash up.

Through interacting with so many loyal users, some of the common misunderstandings about Tecnu and poison oak came up. Here are some of the questions that were asked:

Can Tecnu be used as a preventative before I’m exposed to poison ivy or oak?

Tecnu is designed to be used after exposure to poison plants. After you know you have been around poison ivy or oak, use Tecnu to remove the urushiol (the plant’s oil). By removing this toxin from your skin you can prevent a rash.

How long do I have to use Tecnu after being exposed to poison ivy or oak?

We recommend washing with Tecnu 2-8 hours after exposure to the plants. However, it really depends on how sensitive you are to the urushiol.

The rash continues to spread and I can’t figure out why.

Poison ivy and oak rash is spread from urushiol, which is why it is so important to wash it off your skin. Urushiol can also stay on surfaces such as tools, equipment (like your mountain bike), clothing, shoes and pet fur. It is important to remove it from these surfaces so you don’t get the rash through secondary contamination. Unlike most products on the market, Tecnu Original Outdoor Skin Cleanser can be used on these items to remove urushiol.

If you have a question about poison ivy or oak, add a comment here and we will post the answer.

You can see our event photos on our MySpace page at www.myspace.com/tecnuextreme.

Not everyone gets poison ivy, oak or sumac rash

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, up to 50 million people get the poison ivy or oak rash each year. However, not everyone will get the rash.

Expert opinion varies slightly as to how many people are immune to getting the rash. The estimates vary and suggest that between 3% and 15% of the population is immune to urushiol. However, even those immune people may get the rash if exposed to the plants enough.

The rash causing substance, urushiol, is in every fiber of the poison ivy or oak plant and can come into contact with skin in many ways. A person can get the urushiol on the skin by coming in “direct” contact with the plants--either by touching or rubbing against the leaves. You can also get the urushiol on the skin through “indirect” contact. For example, the urushiol may get on clothing, tools, or your pet's fur. Then, when you touch these items you end up getting the poison ivy or oak's rash causing urushiol on your skin.

For other frequently asked questions, visit http://www.tecnuextreme.com/faq.htm

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Tecnu Extreme relieves itching and removes urushiol in one step! For more information on Tecnu Extreme, visit http://www.tecnuextreme.com/.