Nickel Allergy Help & Advice

"Help & Advice on How to Live with Nickel Allergy
When You Love Wearing Jewelry!"

Just because you have nickel allergy it doesn't mean you have to stop wearing jewelry. You can find many solutions to living with metal allergy without sacrificing your style - from nickel free jewelry to liquids that create a protective barrier between your skin and the barrier.

Nickel skin allergy

You might have noticed that nickel allergy is something that come and go. There are days when your reaction to jewelry seem to be rough and unbearable, but then there are other days when the allergy seems to be non-existent and you're able to wear your favorite jewelry without any symptoms.

On the other hand, you might also be one of those who have lived with nickel allergy for as long as they can remember. You've avoided jewelry like a plague and may even envy those who are able to buy jewelry without having to check if it's nickel-free.

No matter which group you fall in, my advice and tips will hopefully teach you how to cope with the allergy without giving up on the jewelry!

Nickel Allergy Checklist

Nickel allergy is a serious health condition. It can arise at any time at any age - especially if you have sensitive skin. It can surface from time to time, and disappear like you've never had it before.

Every single human body reacts differently depending upon tolerance and susceptibility. But once you have it, your nickel intolerance will last between a couple of months to a few years, or in a lot cases, your whole life.

If you're still not sure if you really have nickel allergy, then let's look at the most common symptoms:

Few people get a blue colored patch on their finger, which is visible after the ring is removed
Skin discoloration can also occur
Rashes or patchy red marks appear on the skin under the jewelry
Bleeding
Pierced hole in ear or nose swells and yellow colored liquid known as pus comes out
There's a constant itching and burning sensation around the area where the skin comes in direct contact with your jewelry piece

I advice you to take your nickel intolerance seriously. It's considered a health hazard in Europe so that's why most of the jewelry made here is nickel-free. Nickel allergy can in the long-run result in serious skin problems and low self-esteem.

Having a skin allergy can inhibit yourself from living comfortably because you always have to hide it with either wearing a high-neck sweater, a scarf, a long-sleeved top etc.. I know a couple of women being so embarrassed by their allergy that they cover up their neck and arms during the hot summer months :-( not a pretty sight.

Nickel-Safe Jewelry

Now you might want to look at this as a small investment. You'll have to spend extra money on buying new sets of allergy-safe jewelry.

Remember that just because you're allergic to gold jewelry it doesn't mean that you're allergic to the gold itself. It's the nickel content that makes your skin itch.

Nickel is mixed with most low-carat gold metals and is often a part of the base metal gold is plated on, which is why most of the less pure cheap fashion jewelry makes your skin react! It's usually the nickel salts when you perspire that messes up your skin.

Note: You might not even react at first when wearing newly-purchased jewelry. That's because the plating hiding above the nickel metal hasn't started wearing off. It depends on how frequent you wear the piece. If you wear it every day your skin will start reacting after just a few weeks. So if you're a frequent wearer you might opt for gold-filled, purer golds and silver or nickel-free jewelry instead.

One of your safest alternatives are selecting purer jewelry metals. They usually have less or no nickel so if you have mild nickel allergy you might want to check these out:

Nickel-Free Jewelry

I highly recommend online store Simply Whispers. They offer beautiful allergy-safe jewelry - for classy to trendy tastes and styles - at low prices. So if you thought that you had to give up your sense of style, then you're wrong :-)

Simply whispers allergy-safe jewelry store icon

These guys know what they're selling. Their jewelry components (clasp, post etc.) are also allergy safe!

Platinum and Titanium Jewelry Metals

These are hypoallergenic, however, expect to pay more for them due to their superb quality. One drawback with most Platinum and Titanium jewelry have a very clean and masculine look. However, it's the perfect match if you like silvery metals and simplicity.

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18 carat - 22kt Gold Jewelry

If you prefer warmer jewelry metals like gold or have a mild nickel allergy, you can try high-purity metals like 18kt and 22kt gold. I wouldn't recommend it if you're planning on wearing them everyday as they're slightly softer than less purer gold.

Click here for more Nickel Free Jewelry options!

Create a Barrier on Your Skin

Now here's a solution if you can't find a specific jewelry that is nickel-free, and you want to wear your favorite, but nickel-containing jewelry.

Nickel Solution

Sent from heaven for those with sensitive skin, this can make your life so much easier and liberating!

It's a liquid 2-part system which detects nickel in metal pieces and protects you from nickel contact. It dries quickly, it's long-lasting and safe :) and of course, it's affordable.

Coating every piece of jewelry you have can be a daunting task if you're impatient or have little time but only one application is needed and it dries quickly :)

Tip:

Healing Your Skin

If your skin has already reacted and you're embarrassed by the look of it (it's either inflamed, dry or cracked) you can buy specially formulated cream to relieve the symptoms:

U-Lactin Dermatitis Cream

It's a therapeutic body lotion with ingredients that heals badly deplated moisture. The cream is easily absorbed in your skin, re-hydrates and softens without leaving a greasy residue.

Best product for roughest and driest skin caused by nickel allergy.

Lubrex Cream

This one's a cream for the hands. It simply nourishes your hands with the aid of sunflower seed oil and it greatly reduces flare-ups due to its unique formula (it doesn't contain irritating ingredients).

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