Jewelry Could Be the Culprit of an Unexplained Skin Rash
According to a recent health brief from Baylor Medical Center in Texas, unexplained skin irritations occur in millions of Americans, and for many, the culprit is an allergy to nickel.
Lisa Garner, M.D., a dermatologist on the medical staff, said that only real treatment is to avoid contact with items that contain nickel. The problem is that it can be found in so many metals. Fortunately, nickel test kits are now available for purchase online
that can detect the substance in anything from jewelry to belt buckles.
Usually, yellow gold won’t cause a problem, but be aware that white gold alloys contain nickel and other metals. Sterling silver is 92.5 percent pure silver (as often marked by the 925 stamp) and for the most part the remaining 7.5 percent comes from copper. Other metals that are considered safe for people with nickel allergies are: copper, platinum, and titanium. Be careful with costume jewelry, vintage jewelry, and some surgical or stainless steel.
Image: reportergimmi
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4 Comments
July 14th, 2008 at 7:18 am
I’ve had a long-running battle with wrist-watches on this issue: have never managed to find one that doesn’t irritate my skin underneath AND doesn’t look dorky on a guy (which cuts out those impractical fluffy wristbands I’ve seen offered to people with the same problem).
Maybe it’s nickel. Maybe that’s it.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:33 am
For what it’s worth- my spouse discovered an allergy this way. Turns out it was a cobalt allergy. She had a massive break-out due to leather boots and silver jewelry
July 15th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Hi Jon,
I’m sorry to hear about your wife’s allergy. Thanks for the heads up on cobalt, and good luck with the upcoming baby (yes, I saw your blog).
July 18th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Have you picked up your nickel detecting kit yet?
One more potential solution:add a link to the band.
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