Is Your Wedding Ring Making You Sick?

Itching, redness and swelling can all be signs of a metal allergy. Allergies can develop over time and you can become allergic to something as simple as your wedding ring. Constant exposure to anything over the course of a long time is liable to trigger allergic reactions.

Allergies to the metal jewelry we wear is not that uncommon. It does not appear to be that "cheap" costume jewelry to be the major culprit either. Oddly enough 10K and 14K gold is one of the more common metal alloys that cause allergic reactions. The same is true of certain types of silver jewelry. Both the gold and silver jewelry use nickel as a component in the alloy mix. The metal, nickel, seems to be the major metal most people are allergic to. Woman have a tendency to be more allergic to metals than men. I wonder if it is because they might have had a longer exposure to it over time than men?

If you are not allergic now you can develop an allergy to metals in the future. Take these steps to minimize your chances of allergic reactions to your jewelry:

If you are considering a metal alloy for jewelry such as 10K, 14K gold or Sterling silver ask to see if it is certified "nickel free". When you are shopping in some of the major department stores you will also notice that many of the tags on the jewelry state "this product is nickel free".

Try not to wear your jewelry 24/7. Take your jewelry off at night (yes even your wedding ring). If you have body jewelry remove them too.

Switch the types of metals you wear. For example one day wear gold earrings, next day wear silver earrings. If at all possible find earrings with surgical steel posts and loops.

Signs of metal allergy
The first sign will be itching. The next sign will probably be swelling and/or redness. Weeping skin and hard lumps could also be an indicator of a metal allergy especially for earring wearers. If after you have removed the offending piece of jewelry and the symptoms do not go away within 7 days then please visit you doctor as something else might be going on.

Keep an eye on your skin around the sites that your wear your jewelry and take the precautions I have listed and you should be able to avoid a severe metal allergy in the future.