Nickel Allergy: Has Your Favorite Jewelry Turned Against You?

You've had pierced ears for years and have amassed quite a collection of earrings and jewelry. Then suddenly, every time you wear earrings, your earlobes swell, redden and develop tiny blisters. Maybe your bracelets or rings give you a rash. You've given up wearing your favorite jewelry and wonder if you'll ever be able to wear it again. What's going on?

You've probably developed an allergy to nickel, one of the most common forms of contact allergies. Jewelry isn't the only culprit - metal snaps in infants' or children's clothing, zippers or tools made with nickel alloy can spark an allergic reaction, too. Brief contact with the metal can produce an instant allergic reaction or an allergic reaction may occur only after years of contact. But once you develop a nickel allergy, it can last a lifetime.

Stop wearing the offending baubles, apply a topical steroid cream prescribed by your doctor, and symptoms should improve almost overnight.

Courtesy of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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