While still relatively unrecognized in the United States, nickel allergies are very real and can cause serious health issues if left unaddressed.  Most women know that they can be sensitive to some earrings or cheap jewelry, but few consider that those same metals that irritate their ears are often used in medical devices like braces and joint replacements. Even fewer realize that they can be exposed to, and harmed by, nickel present in cigarette smoke.
 
Nickel allergies are not like an allergy to dogs or ragweed, it is a Type IV hypersensitivity response; which makes it more like transplant rejection or an allergy to medication. Allergens (in this case nickel) bind to cells, activating certain T lymphocytes, which recognize and attack these cells. This leads to damage in the surrounding tissues. This first contact sets off an immune reaction; whenever the T lymphocytes encounter this allergen, it sets off a major allergic reaction. Because the activation of the T lymphocytes takes some time, the allergic reaction first occurs 12 to 72 hours after contact with the allergen.
 
Not everyone who suffers from a nickel allergy has the same limitations.  Some people simply can’t wear cheap jewelry, while others may have to forgo consuming foods that have high nickel content.  For anyone who suffers from a nickel allergy it is important to make sure any doctor, dentist, or other medical professional in charge of your care is aware of your allergy.  Many medical devices (from braces to IUDs to knee replacements) contain nickel.  While wearing nickel jewelry causes skin rashes and infections at the piercing site, surgical implantation of an item containing nickel can cause serious and systemic issues for those who are allergic to it.  If you’re worried that you have a nickel allergy ask for a patch test, or a (potentially more accurate) blood test to make sure before you have anything permanently affixed to your body.
 
Signs you may have a nickel allergy:

• Wearing inexpensive (non-gold/platinum/fine silver) earrings hurts your ears or results in infections at the piercing site. This may happen even with earrings marked “hypoallergenic” as even surgical steel contains some nickel.
• You don’t wear a lot of jewelry, even if your ears are unpierced. Or you find that necklaces make your skin feel itchy or they even cause a rash.
• After enjoying good health, you fall ill and can’t seem to fully recover after you get braces, an IUD, or a medical implant (including stents).
• You have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia, and believe the diagnosis is incorrect.

Tomorrow we will post about what to do if you have a nickel allergy

further reading:
http://www.ecarf.org/en/allergies/useful-facts.html
http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v204/n6/full/bdj.2008.198.html
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/753985_5
http://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/treatments/joint-surgery/candidates/considerations/metal-implant-allergies.php
​http://www.melisa.org/pdf/cfs_nickel.pdf

If you’re having health problems that can’t seem to be resolved, consider your exposure to nickel. No, silly, not nickels. Nickle! Doctors don’t really consider nickel allergies when your health goes south. Perhaps you should. It can be found in braces, stents, IUDs, and surgical implants. The following is one woman’s story of how nickel affected her quality of life (because the doctors never thought to check).
 
“I’ve been ill since the sixth grade. I was diagnosed with a Strep infection 4 times that year!  After that, I never really got better. I became the only kid who would go to the doctor and beg for a shot of penicillin; I was that tired of being sick. When I was in the 8th grade, I started getting a pimply rash that my doctor diagnosed as Keratitis Polaris (on my arms) and some other type of dermatitis (on my face). My doctor prescribed various creams – Elidel worked on my face and I had to use it from that time forward.  Elidel is actually a fairly scary topical cream that many doctors are hesitant to prescribe. I continued to be ill quite a bit: which was wearing. When I was 18, my gums began to bleed. This isn’t the tiny bit of blood you might see in the sink when you brush your teeth. This is much worse. My mom took me to the dentist. He said my gums were healthy and he was confused because he typically saw this type of problem with pregnant women and I wasn’t pregnant. By the time I was 20, I was frustrated by life and exhausted. I was struggling with a continuous onslaught of illnesses, medicating my skin to keep it healthy, and suffering from chronically bleeding gums.  My doctor tested me for myriad alarming diseases – and everything came back negative. He seemed to give up and suggested I take anti-depressants. My mom took me to an endocrinologist for a second opinion. He suggested that perhaps I had been molested as a child and “forgotten” it and my symptoms were evidence of that. I quit going to doctors.
 
When I was in the fifth grade. I got “bunny braces” to correct my front teeth. All of my teeth had fallen out at the same time and the new teeth did not appear for a year; so my front teeth were fairly crooked. I graduated from my “bunny braces” to full braces when I was in the 8th grade. In May of my Junior year of high school, the orthodontist removed my braces and replaced them with permanent retainers.
 
When I was 18 and seeing my dentist for those bleeding gums, one of his hygienists suggested I might have a nickel allergy. The dentist gave us “that look” that politely asks people to disregard the rogue hygienist. So we did. And I regret that moment! 
 
When I was 22, my sister gave me a sentimental necklace. I didn’t wear a lot of jewelry but I wanted to wear this necklace. I put it on and, within minutes, was scrambling to get it off of me. It felt like it was burning my skin! I felt like this was crazy and inspected the chain to see if it had sharp edges that were cutting me. I’d had problems with earring before (my ears are pierced) but had never connected those problems to an issue with nickel; I’d just returned the earrings or thrown them away. I really wanted to keep this necklace so I started researching ways to coat jewelry so that I could continue to wear it. A few websites suggested I might have a nickel allergy.
 
That necklace saved my life! At the age of 22 – after several years of ill health, unhappy skin, and bleeding gums – I had my orthodontist remove my permanent retainers. We agreed that I would return to him in one month to have them replaced if I wasn’t feeling better. I never went back. Within 3 days, my gums had largely stopped bleeding. They would (and still do) bleed a bit when I am under large amounts of stress. My skin issues also went away during that first month of no retainers. I no longer need Elidel at all; which is amazing given the many years that I had to use it daily. And I feel better. Yes, better is relative (and I do still feel ill on occasion) but I’m getting better everyday. I’m now 23. That’s how quickly my health changed once I removed the nickel-filled retainers from my teeth. If you’re having health problems that can’t seem to be resolved, consider your exposure to nickel. Unfortunately, nickel isn’t something that most Doctors are taught to consider. I’m so grateful my sister gave me that necklace and started me on the path to health.
 
 
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