Can you develope an allergy to gold after wearing it for over 5 years?!


Question: I have been wearing my wedding rings since 2002 and about 7 months ago I started getting a rash under my ring that is itchy and it swells and develops blisters. I wore my rings 24 hours a day until I broke out the first time. It starts out by itching and then it swells and turns into blisters. As soon as it starts itching I remove the rings until it heals and then I leave them off for an additional week before putting them back on. It takes exactly 48 hours for my finger to break out again. I dont wear any other jewelry other than my wedding rings. The engagement ring and the wedding band are both incased with diamonds. I clean them with toothpaste quite often like I always have. I havent changed any soaps or lotions. I have tried to wear my rings on my right hand to see if I have the same reaction but I cant leave them on for more than 24 hours because my right hand swells causing discomfort wearing them. My husband jokes and says my body decided to reject marriage. Please help!


Answers: I have been wearing my wedding rings since 2002 and about 7 months ago I started getting a rash under my ring that is itchy and it swells and develops blisters. I wore my rings 24 hours a day until I broke out the first time. It starts out by itching and then it swells and turns into blisters. As soon as it starts itching I remove the rings until it heals and then I leave them off for an additional week before putting them back on. It takes exactly 48 hours for my finger to break out again. I dont wear any other jewelry other than my wedding rings. The engagement ring and the wedding band are both incased with diamonds. I clean them with toothpaste quite often like I always have. I havent changed any soaps or lotions. I have tried to wear my rings on my right hand to see if I have the same reaction but I cant leave them on for more than 24 hours because my right hand swells causing discomfort wearing them. My husband jokes and says my body decided to reject marriage. Please help!

You can develop allergies to anything at anytime.
But I would look more towards a change in soaps or something that is coming in contact with the gold. That might be your source or not drying under the rings well and your fingers stay damp longer causing a bacterial rash.

Best bet is to see a dermatologist.

Yes you can develop an allergy at any time to anything, even if you have been using or eating it for years. It does look like you are now allergic to gold. Leave them off for a few months and then put them back on and see what happens, this will give your body time to settle down. I am thinking that even though you leave them off for 48 hours, you still have allergy receptors floating around in your bloodstream. If you wait a few months they may go away or settle down and you won't have a reaction. It may or may not work, but it might be worth a try..........Good Luck...............

Sounds like you need to see a dermatologist. It is possible that you're allergic to gold or one of the other metals in the ring. Many health care workers develop allergies to latex after working in the field for several years because they've been exposed to it so much. It seems quite possible that the same thing could happen with metals.

Perhaps it's the toothpaste that you're cleaning it with, not the gold. I would stop cleaning them for a while and see if it clears up. Have you tried putting on someone else's ring to see if you have the same reaction?

Good luck! Hopefully you'll be able to find a way to get your body to accept marriage again. :P

send your jewelry my way, I'll inspect it and I'll hold on to it til Ifind out what the cause is. It may take a long time. LOL

If they are not 24Kt gold, you are likely reacting to whatever base metal was used in making the gold. In 18Kt gold, nickel is used, in 14kt gold nickel or zinc are used and in 10kt gold there is a multitude of other metals used. And yes, over time you can become sensitive to the base metals. An allergy to gold is extremely rare and unlikely. You could replace the rings with a higher karat content, like going from 14 kt to 18 kt or 18 kt to 22 kt. But I am afraid the rings you have will cause you a problem from now on.

Probably not the gold itself.
What people occasionally have is an allergy to the nickel content in gold alloys.

Yes, an allergy can start at anytime, but it is also possible that you rings were made with plated gold and have a mixture of other metals in the base layer of the ring. If so, the top layer has begun to wear down some exposing the cheaper metal mixture layer underneath and this has triggered an allergy.

Usually it's the nickel used in gold alloys that causes such irritations. See a dermatologist. I'd also consult a jeweler about using other metal alloys that are nickel free.





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