Jewelry With Nickel May Elicit a Reaction
Investing in more expensive or hypoallergenic pieces might help

(HealthDay News) -- Your mood ring may be a soothing blue, but if it's turning your skin blotchy red, you might want to slip it off and shop for something else.

Itchy, red, bumpy or blistered skin can be a sign of an allergy to nickel, an element used to plate costume jewelry and contained in some gold jewelry.

In one study, researchers purchased 277 earrings from 34 different San Francisco vendors and found that nearly one-third of the pairs purchased tested positive for nickel. The findings appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology .

"Sensitization to nickel is quite common in the United States, with studies estimating that 5.8 percent of American adults tested positive to nickel allergy through a routine skin test," Dr. Howard I. Maibach, a professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco, and lead author of the study, said in a prepared statement.

Nickel sensitivity isn't hereditary. Rather, it's acquired through exposure to nickel, often through earrings and increasingly through tongue jewelry and navel rings, according to a report in Dermatology Nursing . The body-piercing trend has led to an increase in allergic reactions to nickel, the authors reported.

Nickel is contained in a number of consumer products, including belt buckles, metal fasteners on clothing and eyeglass frames, and can be found in orthopedic joint replacements, dental appliances, skin staples and stents as well, the article noted.

Sweating can increase dermatitis symptoms in people with nickel sensitivity, said the American Academy of Dermatology. Within 15 to 20 minutes of coming in contact with perspiration, the nickel-containing item may produce an itchy, prickly sensation. A rash may appear a day or two later.

Covering nickel-containing items with clear nail polish may help create a protective barrier between the skin and the allergy-producing metal, said the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

People with severe nickel allergies also should not eat foods that contain trace amounts of nickel, such as nuts, chocolate, beer, tea, coffee and apricots, the foundation added.

The study based on earrings involved what Maibach called inexpensive earrings -- less than $50 a pair. But the analysis did not identify a price point at which earrings would be safe. For example, of 44 pairs priced from $5 to $8 at one store, none tested positive for nickel, whereas numerous pairs costing $15 to $25 in another store did test positive.

To play it safe, he suggested purchasing jewelry labeled nickel-free or hypoallergenic or going with jewelry made of other types of metal.

Nickel allergy sometimes starts with the first piercing and pair of earrings, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. A sterile, stainless steel needle should be used to piece ears and only nickel-fee earnings should be worn, at least for the first three weeks, it said.

On the Web

To learn more about nickel allergy, visit the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; American Academy of Dermatology, news release, May 12, 2008; Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Washington, D.C.; June 2007, Dermatology Nursing ; American Academy of Dermatology, Schaumburg, Ill.
Author: Karen Pallarito
Publication Date: May 31, 2009
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