A Nickel Allergy Could Be Causing Your Rash; Here’s How to Spot It
Key takeaways:
Nickel allergies lead to skin rashes, often in unusual places like the ears, face, and stomach.
Steroid creams and antihistamines can help treat rashes from nickel allergy.
People with nickel allergy should avoid coming in contact with jewelry, makeup, clothing, and household items that contain nickel.
Nickel allergy is one of the most common allergic reactions in the U.S. And studies show every year more people develop nickel allergies.
People with nickel allergy develop rashes wherever their skin comes in contact with nickel. For many people, this means a rash in unusual places like earlobes, hands, around the eyes, and near the belly button.
If you have a rash after coming in contact with metal, here’s how you can tell if you’ve developed a nickel allergy.
What causes allergic reactions to nickel?
A nickel allergy develops when the immune system confuses nickel for something possibly harmful and attacks any part of the skin that touches nickel. Once you develop a nickel allergy, your immune system will attack anytime you come in contact with nickel.
You can develop an allergy to nickel at any age. It’s not clear why some people develop nickel allergies and others do not. But there’s evidence that the more often you come in contact with nickel, the more likely you are to develop a nickel allergy.
Nickel allergy is very common. Surveys show that between 17% and 55% of people have a nickel allergy. You may be wondering how so many people come in contact with nickel so often.
Nickel is found in more things than you may think. Many people work with nickel-containing products and don’t even realize it. Mechanics, metalworkers, construction workers, hairdressers, and jewelers all come in contact with nickel many times a day. People who work with electronics are also exposed to nickel throughout their workday.
But most people develop a nickel allergy from contact with everyday objects. Here’s some common everyday sources of nickel:
Jewelry and watches: Jewelry and watches may contain nickel. Check to make sure your jewelry is either made of 12-carat or more gold or silver. These don’t contain nickel. But 9-carat gold and white gold contain nickel. Many people develop nickel allergy after coming in contact with nickel from ear or body piercings.
Clothing: Fabrics don’t contain nickel, but fasteners do. Many belt buckles, bra hooks, metal buttons, and zippers have high levels of nickel.
Household items: Household items — like razors, pots, pans, needles, scissors — and cooking utensils can contain nickel. So can door knobs and cabinet handles.
Electronics: Electronics like cell phones, laptops, and tablets may contain nickel along their outside surfaces.
Stainless steel: Stainless steel items may be nickel plated. If they are not nickel plated, they don’t contain nickel.
Eyeglass frames: Some eyeglass frames contain nickel.
Dental hardware: Braces, crowns, and dentures can contain nickel.
Hair accessories: Metal hair accessories like clips, pins, and barrettes often contain nickel.
Makeup: Nickel is sometimes used in makeup in small amounts. But this can be enough to lead to a nickel allergy.
What are the symptoms of a nickel allergy?
Nickel allergy causes rashes and skin changes like:
Itching
Redness
Swelling
Dry patches
Blisters
The rash from a nickel allergy often gets confused with poison ivy because the two look very similar.
Nickel allergy can be easy to spot because the rash only develops where your skin touches nickel. This can lead to rashes that have unusual shapes, patterns, and location.
Some people develop skin changes only around their piercings. Others develop rashes on their hands because they work with nickel-containing products. Some people develop rashes around their eyes if their makeup or eyeglasses contains nickel. Very commonly, people develop a rash where the back of their pants or shorts button touches their stomach.
How do you diagnose a nickel allergy?
Most people figure out they have a nickel allergy because they develop a rash anytime they come in contact with nickel-containing products. But if you aren’t sure whether you have a nickel allergy, you can get an allergy test. An allergist will apply a patch with nickel-containing solution to your skin. If you develop a rash over that area, then you have a nickel allergy.
How do you treat nickel allergy?
The best way to treat a nickel allergy is to avoid contact with anything that contains nickel.
If you’re not sure whether a metal item contains nickel, you can test it for nickel. Nickel testing kits are available at dermatology and allergist offices and online. They’re inexpensive and give you instant results.
If you have to use an item that contains nickel, put a barrier between your skin and the item. That might mean wearing gloves if you’re handling something or wearing an extra layer of clothing to protect your skin from metal buttons and fasteners.
A nickel allergy rash can take a few weeks to go away. There’s no cure for the rash and there’s no way to speed up recovery. But over-the-counter medications that can help lower your symptoms while you wait.
Some options that might help are:
Topical steroids: Hydrocortisone 1% ointment can help relieve itching, swelling, and redness. Apply the cream once or twice a day to your rash for up to 2 weeks.
Antihistamines: Antihistamines like diphenhydramine, loratadine, cetirizine or fexofenadine can help relieve your itching.
Cooling agents and anti-itching creams: Menthol, pramoxine, and calamine can help relieve itchiness. Some anti-itch lotions contain one or more of these ingredients. Itchy skin may be relieved by products that contain menthol and/or camphor.
If your rash is very large or involves your face, see your healthcare provider. You may need prescription strength creams or oral steroids to help relieve your rash. You should also see a healthcare provider if you develop any blisters, pain, fever, or oozing from your rash. These could be signs that your rash is infected and should be treated with antibiotics.
The bottom line
Nickel allergy is a common allergy that leads to itchy rashes. Nickel is present in many everyday items especially watches, jewelry, clothing fasteners, and electronics.
If you have a nickel allergy, you should avoid items that contain nickel. A nickel test kit can help you find out if something contains nickel. Treatment for nickel allergy includes avoiding nickel-containing items. Steroid creams and antihistamines can help relieve itching and swelling from nickel allergy rash.
Why trust our experts?
References
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. (2020). Two cents about nickel allergy.
Goldenberg, A., et al. (2015). Nickel allergy in adults in the U.S.: 1962 to 2015. Dermatitis.
Murphy, P. B., et al. (2022). Allergic contact dermatitis. StatPearls.
Nickel Institute. (n.d.). Stainless steel: The role of nickel.
Oakley, A. (1997). Nickel allergy. DermNet.
Rishor-Olney, C. R., et al. (2022). Nickel allergy. StatPearls.
Suneja, T., et al. (2007). Blue-jean button nickel: Prevalence and prevention of its release from buttons. Dermatitis.
Warshaw, E. M., et al. (2019). Epidemiology of nickel sensitivity: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of North American Contact Dermatitis Group data 1994-2014. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
