Your Wearable Electronic Devices Could Trigger Nickel Allergy
As a kid, I struggled with some odd reactions to everyday items, so my parents took me to a dermatologist. She filled a raft of syringes with various substances and placed little bubbles of liquid beneath my skin.
Sure enough, the things that bothered me made rashes pop up. Indeed, having physical contact with one unlikely item proved to a Boston woman that she had an allergy.
According to WBZ, Sue McCann began to experience a strange rash on her wrist. Her skin broke out in red splotches and began to itch.
“I was very surprised that I had developed a rash,” she said. In fact, she had no idea what could’ve caused it.
The answer proved far closer to her than she would’ve otherwise imagined — McCann had a nickel allergy.
Believe it or not, nickel allergies are anything but uncommon. “Nickel reactions can range from a little local rash, infections of the skin,” explained dermatologist Dr. Lawrence Eichenfield.
“It can impact on sleep. It can certainly impact someone’s occupation.”
“People who are real sensitive will break out from exposure to even stainless steel because the amount of nickel that gets released is enough to make them sensitive and show a reaction or rash.”
It turned out that McCann’s nickel allergy was exacerbated by her fitness tracker, which had a nickel-plated backing.
Ferris pointed out that there are so many more items on the market nowadays that might cause such problems. “Traditionally, we’ve seen nickel allergies in places like earrings or from belt buckles, but now we’re tending to see it a lot on the wrist from electronic fitness trackers,” she said.
However, not every rash caused by a piece of jewelry or a watch-like wearable owes to an allergy. International Business Times pointed out that simple irritation from too-tight devices might cause similar problems.
“You take enough people, and you put something tight-fitting on their arm and they do their day-to-day, whether it’s sweating or washing their hands, potential irritants can push through the outer barrier and disrupt the skin cells, disrupt the skin,” said Dr. Adam Friedman, director of dermatologic research at Montefiore Medical Center. “Most of the problems are from contact dermatitis.”
However, Dr. Joel Cohen of Colorado’s Aboutskin Dermatology clarified, “Not every irritation is an allergy, and we do see irritation from trapping moisture, sweat and friction. But some people are truly allergic to some things, like nickel.”
There are several simple steps that people can take to safeguard themselves from nickel if they have an allergy. They can put a few coats of clear nail polish on the back of any item with nickel that comes in contact with their skin.
They might also use a piece of plastic wrap as a buffer. McCann, though, chose a more simple option.
She simply kept wearing her fitness tracker, but made sure it wasn’t too tight. “I have taken to wearing my electronic fitness tracker very loosely so that I can continue to use my device,” she said.
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