If you have problems with a skin rash, redness, swelling, itching or burning
in areas where you are wearing jewelry, you may have a nickel allergy.
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Nickel is commonly used in most jewelry, since it’s cheap and strong, but
around 15% of the population is allergic to nickel.
If you’ve recently gotten your ears or body pierced and are experiencing
allergic symptoms, you may have become sensitized to the metal your jewelry
contains.
White gold and other gold that is less that 14 carats can bring on a reaction,
since white gold is made with nickel and other forms of gold contain some
amount of nickel as a hardening agent.
Sterling silver is plated with nickel, which stays shiny and bright when
silver might tarnish, and so is frequently used in silver jewelry.
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Are You Allergic to the Nickel in Your Jewelry?
If you have problems with a skin rash, redness, swelling, itching or burning
in areas where you are wearing jewelry, you may have a nickel allergy.
Nickel is commonly used in most jewelry, since it’s cheap and strong, but
around 15% of the population is allergic to nickel. If you’ve recently gotten
your ears or body pierced and are experiencing allergic symptoms, you may have
become sensitized to the metal your jewelry contains.
White gold and other gold that is less that 14 carats can bring on a reaction,
since white gold is made with nickel and other forms of gold contain some
amount of nickel as a hardening agent. Sterling silver is plated with nickel,
which stays shiny and bright when silver might tarnish, and so is frequently
used in silver jewelry.
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How to avoid nickel allergic reactions
What to do? There aren’t any vaccinations: your best bet is to avoid nickel.
If you have a recent piercing, making sure to use only stainless steel posts,
and once the symptoms are gone, pay strict attention to the kind of jewelry
you’re buying.
Replace your jewelry with pieces guaranteed to be nickel free; remember, you
can suffer allergy symptoms from rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts
or body jewelry. 18 carat gold should be all right; platinum is also known as
hypoallergenic.
Nickel free or alloy free white gold is made with palladium, a type of
platinum, which costs more that the white gold made with nickel.
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Nickel-free jewelry does exist for allergy sufferers
The down side of having a nickel allergy is that nickel free jewelry often
costs more, making you more difficult to shop for.
If you usually shop in fine jewelry stores, you probably won’t have a problem,
but if like many of us, you buy your earrings in drugstores or kiosks, you
have to pay special attention to make sure you get items labeled as
hypoallergenic or nickel free.
Stainless steel earrings and other piercing items are available in a wide
range of styles, and they’re inexpensive.
If you have a piece of jewelry that causes you allergy problems but you can’t
bear to part with it, you can try coating the whole piece in a couple of coats
clear fingernail polish.
Some people find that the polish prevents contact to the extent that they
don’t suffer the allergy: others have to give up the jewelry or endure
swelling, itching and burningâ all of which make wearing jewelry somewhat
pointless, since your skin will look so awful that people won’t be able to
truly admire the sexy new studs in your ears, lips, belly or tongue.
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