Am I Allergic to My Earrings? What Women Need to Know About Nickel Jewelry

By Brooke Helton

Published: July 29, 2024

You just want to rock a cute pair of statement earrings to complete your outfit. But when they touch your skin, you break out in an itchy red rash – like you clipped poison ivy to your ears.

If your favorite jewelry wreaks havoc on your skin, you could be one of 15 to 16% of women with a nickel allergy, the most common type of metal allergy. “Although men and women suffer from the same core symptoms such as itching, redness, and a rash, hormonal influences result in some divergence,” says John Lowe, MD, a physician at Restore Care clinic in Utah.

Below, learn more about the signs and symptoms of nickel allergies in women and discover how to choose jewelry your skin will love as much as you do.

WHAT IS A NICKEL ALLERGY?

A nickel allergy is a form of allergic contact dermatitis, an inflammatory response to an allergen. Nickel allergies are more common in women than men. Unlike other allergies, it isn’t life-threatening and won’t cause anaphylactic shock.

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SYMPTOMS OF A NICKEL ALLERGY IN WOMEN

If you have a nickel allergy, you may notice symptoms like:

Redness or inflammation
Itchiness or burning sensations
Blisters or skin cracking

These symptoms typically appear only on the areas that directly touched the nickel, says Anju Methil, MD, a dermatologist and cosmetologist consulting with ClinicSpots. While some people may notice these symptoms immediately, others may notice them after three or more days.

“There's no significant difference in how men and women experience metal allergies,” Dr. Methil explains. “The immune system's reaction to the metal triggers the same symptoms regardless of gender.”

That said, Dr. Lowe adds that some women may have more intense symptoms during their periods or when pregnant due to hormonal fluctuations.

WHAT CAUSES A NICKEL ALLERGY IN WOMEN?

We don’t fully understand the underlying cause of nickel allergies, but some researchers believe body piercings can make you more sensitive to nickel.

For example, rates of nickel sensitivity are higher in people with body piercings than those without them, possibly because piercing makes it easier for allergens to get inside the skin. It doesn’t help that nickel is super common in earring studs. This could explain why women are more likely to experience nickel allergies than men, since women are more likely to have ear piercings.

So, in essence, women aren’t necessarily more prone to nickel allergies, but their exposure levels may be higher due to wearing jewelry, like earrings, Dr. Methil explains.

WHAT'S THE TREATMENT FOR A NICKEL ALLERGY?

If your doctor suspects you have a metal allergy, they can perform an allergy patch test on your back to look for a reaction. There isn’t a cure for nickel allergies. Instead, avoiding contact with objects containing nickel, like earrings or bracelets, is the best way to minimize your symptoms.

If you love sparkly things as much as we do, that probably isn’t what you want to hear. But don’t worry: It’s totally possible to find jewelry that doesn’t trigger symptoms of nickel allergies. You just need to know what you’re looking for.

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HOW TO CHOOSE JEWELRY FOR A NICKEL ALLERGY

When shopping for jewelry that won’t irritate your skin, pay special attention to the type of metal. Most jewelry is made from “alloys,” a mixture of two or more metals. Some metals are also more likely to be mixed with nickel, like while gold.

Try to find jewelry made with hypoallergenic materials like stainless steel or titanium.

While stainless steel contains a small amount of nickel, (9% to 28%), this generally isn’t enough to trigger nickel allergy symptoms. Plus, the nickel is tightly bound in the metal, so it has a very low chance of leaking out.

Titanium is another of our favorite hypoallergenic jewelry metals. Less than 1% of people are allergic to implant-grade titanium, and while some types of titanium may technically contain nickel, it’s often less than 1%.

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CONCLUSION

Around 15 to 16% of women have nickel allergies, possibly because women are more likely to have ear piercings, which can increase the chances of an allergy. A nickel allergy can make your skin itchy and red when wearing earrings or other jewelry containing nickel. But instead of ditching your earrings altogether, you can avoid triggering your symptoms by choosing options made with hypoallergenic metals.

If you’re looking for jewelry that won’t trigger your allergies, check out CordsClub. All of our hypoallergenic earrings are made with metals like stainless steel and implant-grade titanium, so you can feel stylish without any irritation. Plus, our studs have flat backs to provide maximum comfort.

If you sign up for our free club membership, you can get a monthly discount code and exclusive flash sales in your inbox. It’s the best way to save on earrings that your skin will love as much as you do!

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Frequently Asked Questions

I have really sensitive ears. What are your pieces made of?

My team and I have sensitive ears, too! Our goal is to provide high quality, affordable, hypoallergenic options for our sensitive-eared girlies. All materials are listed in each product's item description. We use stainless steel, surgical steel, and implant grade titanium in our earrings. These materials are rust and tarnish proof and won't turn your skin green.

If your ears are extra extra sensitive, I recommend giving our flat back earrings a try! They're made of surgical grade materials. Less than 1% of the population is allergic to true implant grade titanium, which makes it the best metal for sensitive skin.

To learn more about why implant grade titanium is awesome, read this peer-reviewed article: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/12/2/214

Note that our gold titanium flat back studs do have an 18K Gold PVD plating. If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Is your jewelry waterproof?

Oh yeah! 99% of our earrings are waterproof. Unless otherwise stated (we have a few hand painted statement earrings), you're getting jewelry that you can get wet.

My clicker hoop clasp seems to be getting loose. How can I fix that?

It's inevitable. Your favorite pair of hoops won't stay shut anymore. So annoying! Simply put a little pressure on the post part that goes through your ear until it shifts a tiny bit up or down. Keep doing that until it clicks in snugly. Be careful not to press too hard though!

Do you offer discounts?

We are priced very fairly when you look at other brands with our same caliber of quality! We do have a monthly discount and an extra special yearly birthday discount for members of our Cords Club (it's free!).

Do you have a loyalty rewards program?

We do! Earn rewards for such tasks as referring friends to Cords Club, making a purchase, following us on social media, and more! Find out more about our rewards program here.

Did you have rewards points with the old Indiecords site? Fear not! Reach out to hello@cordsclub.com with the details.

References

Alloy Definition, Properties, Examples, & Facts. (1998, July 20). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/alloy

Jewelry Metals 101: Gold, Silver, and Platinum - Gem Society. (2023a, November 13). International Gem Society. https://www.gemsociety.org/article/jewelry-metals-overview/

Jewelry Metals 101: Gold, Silver, and Platinum - Gem Society. (2023b, November 13). International Gem Society. https://www.gemsociety.org/article/jewelry-metals-overview/

Markel, K., Silverberg, N., Pelletier, J., Watsky, K., & Jacob, S. (2020). Art of prevention: A piercing article about nickel. International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, 6(3), 203–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijwd.2019.03.001

Murphy, P. B., Atwater, A. R., & Mueller, M. (2023, July 13). Allergic Contact Dermatitis. StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532866/#:~:text=Allergic%20contact%20dermatitis%20is%20an%20inflammatory%20disease,skin%2C%20and%20the%20subsequent%20T%2Dcell%20mediated%20response.

Nickel Allergy. (n.d.). https://nickelinstitute.org/en/science/what-do-you-need-to-know-about-nickel-allergy/

Nickel Allergy. (n.d.). https://www.aocd.org/page/NickelAllergy

Pierced body parts of Americans in 2017, by gender. (2019, December 20). Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/722656/pierced-body-parts-of-americans-by-gender/

Professional, C. C. M. (n.d.). Nickel Allergy. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17842-nickel-allergy

Two Cents about Nickel Allergy. (n.d.). https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/nickel

Niedzielska, I., Sitek-Ignac, N., Bąk, M., & Niedzielski, D. (2022). Is Allergy to Titanium Bone Fixation Plates a Problem? Coatings, 12(2), 214. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12020214

Brooke Helton is a freelance writer who loves covering the intersection between health and style. You can find her work in places like Forbes Health, Business Insider, mindbodygreen, Everyday Health, Market Watch, HelpGuide, and more. When she's not writing about herself in the third person, you can find Brooke catching up on her Kindle backlog or getting lost in the Appalachian countryside.

You can find her online here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/freelancehealthandwellnesswriter/

https://www.forbes.com/health/author/brooke-helton/

https://www.businessinsider.com/author/brooke-helton