To make up the rest of the metal, gold is alloyed with other metals. For people with metal allergy, particularly nickel allergy, the question is which metals are your gold jewellery alloyed with?
Gold can be alloyed with many different types of metals which alter its hardness, colour and other properties.
For example, yellow gold may be alloyed with silver and copper, while white gold is usually alloyed with nickel. Rhodium, a silvery-white metal related to platinum, is often used to plate yellow gold to make it into white gold. And even white gold with nickel is often rhodium-plated to make it appear whiter and shinier.
Although the initial plating will protect you against any nickel in the gold, it eventually wears off over months or years. This leaves the white gold alloyed with nickel in contact with your skin. There are three grades of silver for jewellery — pure silver, sterling silver and silver-plated. Pure silver is Sterling silver is In some cases of sterling silver, a small percentage of other metals may be in the mix so traces of nickel may be present. Silver-plated jewellery is a base metal and may contain nickel that has been plated with a fine layer of silver alloy.
Allergic contact dermatitis to metal jewellery may develop at any age. In most cases, this is due to nickel or cobalt allergy, and once it has occurred, it persists for many years, often life-long.
Some people develop dermatitis also called eczema from even brief contact with nickel-containing items, while others after many years of wearing them without problems suddenly break out in a rash. This is usually confined to skin sites in contact with the metal but can spread more widely in severe cases. But, ear piercing often starts off a nickel allergy, so if anyone decides to have their ears pierced, make sure the studs that are put in as the ears are pierced are either sterling silver, carat gold or good quality stainless steel.
When the holes have healed wear good quality gold earrings. Can a special diet help my nickel allergy? Studies abroad have found that some people with severe hand eczema, thought to be due to nickel allergy, have improved following a nickel-free diet. Nickel can be released into food if anything acidic rhubarb, apples, citrus fruit is cooked in a stainless steel saucepan. Canned foods also contain nickel. Many foods, such as leafy green vegetables, naturally contain nickel, which makes this diet a difficult one to follow.
More research needs to be done on this subject before we can be sure whether hand eczema really is helped by this diet. If you are considering modifying your diet to try to improve your skin, always consult your doctor first.
Conclusions Once you have become sensitive to nickel you are likely to stay like that for life. But, many people find that they are not so sensitive as time passes. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Sign In. Patient Guide. Save As PDF. Back To Listing. This is very hard when so many things have nickel in them, but you must aim for this. Look closely at everything at home and at work and decide whether it is likely to be made of nickel.
If something made of nickel is coated with paint, nail polish, lacquer or varnish, this will prevent your skin coming into direct contact with the metal. For example a bra fastener or press stud can easily be painted to protect your skin. But remember, this only works as long as the coating is complete — if it chips or flakes off, nickel will touch your skin. Some metal objects can also be covered with masking tape. Some metal items can be backed with material so that they can be worn.
Keep money in a bag, purse or wallet, rather than loose in your trouser pocket. Watches made only from plastic, or with plastic material watch straps, are available, or else wear a fob watch instead.
You may apply an over the counter antihistamine or hydrocortisone cream to the affected area to reduce discomfort. Nickel allergy rashes usually begin to clear on their own once the jewelry item containing item has been removed. Nickel allergies can develop at any age, however, once a nickel allergy has developed, your immune system will continue to be sensitive to nickel for the rest of your life. Repeated exposure to nickel can worsen the allergic reaction to the condition.
There is no cure for a nickel allergy, so the best way to avoid symptoms is simply to avoid wearing jewelry that contains nickel. Ears and wrists are the most common trouble areas for people who have nickel allergies. Nickel free jewelry is designed to minimize the risk of an allergic reaction.
Sometimes the words "nickel free" and "hypoallergenic" are incorrectly confused as interchangeable terms. The term hypoallergenic means "below the normal level" of allergenic. It is important to note that "hypoallergenic" does not mean that an item is nickel free.
Unfortunately, there are no US government standards or regulations for using the terms "nickel free" or "hypoallergenic. Keep in mind that the actual base metal used to create the design may still contain nickel. Use caution when purchasing silver-tone jewelry that has been silver plated. Silver plated jewelry contains a thin layer of silver bonded over a base metal, such as brass, nickel, or tin.
The thin layer of silver on silver plated jewelry will wear away, flake, or scratch off over time, exposing your skin to whatever type of base metal that lies underneath the plated surface.
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