Reaction To Gold or Silver Body (Piercing) Jewelry?

If you've noticed a reaction to your new jewelry, one thing to check for is what metals/materials your jewelry piece is primarily made of as well as any other materials that may be added to or used in the manufacturing of the piece, especially if you have any known allergies. While the most common material used for body jewelry is stainless steel metal, there are many other types of materials that can be used including precious metals such as gold or silver.

If the reaction you're experiencing is to your gold, silver, or other precious metal jewelry piece, the issue isn't likely to be related to the precious metal itself though it could be related to the particular jewelry piece. The most common reaction caused by the material used in a piece of jewelry is an allergy to the metal known as nickel which can even be found as a trace element or used in the manufacturing of precious metal jewelry. Nickel allergies are extremely common in women and becoming increasingly common in men as well. If you're not certain whether your jewelry piece contains nickel, you can obtain a nickel-testing kit from your dermatologist or pharmacist and find out!

If you're not sure whether you have a nickel allergy, you can visit your doctor or dermatologist for an allergy patch test. You can also perform a test at home with a piece of nickel-containing metal or jewelry. (Nickel is commonly used as the base metal in cheaper jewelry including most of the non-stainless-steel, silver-colored metal jewelry found in teen/youth fashion stores like Claire's or Icing.) In order to do this, you'll need to keep the nickel against your skin for up to a few days. Keep an eye on the area. If you start to itch and/or get tiny blisters on the skin where the jewelry is, you have a nickel allergy. Remove the nickel piece right away to avoid additional irritation. The reaction will clear up within a few days but can also be treated to expedite healing if necessary. Unfortunately, this also means that the cause of your recent reaction to your precious metal jewelry piece is your nickel allergy. Once developed, nickel allergies usually last a lifetime.

Fortunately, there is hope! Stainless (surgical) steel,18 or 24 carat gold, sterling silver, or pure platinum, depending on your budget and preference, may very well be the solutions to your dilemma as they are the most nickel-free/least likely to cause a nickel reaction metals commonly used in jewelry making. You can also try polycarbonate plastic jewelry or simply look for jewelry that is hypoallergenic.

Now if you did NOT test positive to having a nickel allergy or your precious metal jewelry piece tested negative for nickel, your reaction may be caused by friction between the jewelry and the piercing site, an infection, a more rare allergy to a different substance in your jewelry or used to clean your piercing, or irritation caused by switching the jewelry piece, particularly during the initial healing stages. Troubleshoot and treat accordingly but be sure to keep an eye on the piercing site.

 If you develop a fever or burning sensation around the piercing site, notice an increase in pain or swelling, or notice unusual discharge (a bit of oozing or bleeding is normal but pus, especially when combined with other infection symptoms, can be a red flag), however, it's highly recommended that you see a physician ASAP as you may likely have an infection. Luckily, as long as you catch it early on you can usually treat an infection easily and get back to enjoying your piercing in close to no time at all!