allergic

[fms]

i seem to be allergic to metal all and any sort exept gold is this possible?

[enigma]

Yes. I am allergic to nickel and can not wear any cheap jewellery. (Born for the finer things in life - I wish !) My skin breaks out and I am in agony , clawing at the affected area. I am so bad with any kind of metal that even if I wear a pair of jeans or trousers with a metal fastening and the metal touches my belly button , I break out. I usually slip a piece of cotton wool behind the fastening of my trousers so that it doesn't rub against me and irritate my skin. That's the reason why I couldn't get my belly button pierced because although they use surgical steel , the metal clip on my trousers would break out my skin and set me up for infection. Just one of those things i'm afraid but at least you'll be able to tell if anyone buys you cheap jewellery lol !

[kirstyvw]

Same here enigma.
Weird as it suddenly started when i hit 21 and I've had it ever since. If any sort of nickel is near my skin I come out in eczema type rashes all over. A tip the doctor told me about to stop the little metal bits on jeans irritating me was to paint the bit which touches the skin with a few layers of clear nail polish.
Totally agree about having to go for pricey jewellery too!

Hope you get it sorted fms

[Lore]

me too! I can only wear gold, white gold and some silver.

after wearing jeans I end up with a rash on my stomach where the button has touched, can't wear watches, nothing with buckles (bang goes the straight jacket!!) basically anything that comes into contact with my skin for a long period of time will result in rashes the same shape as the item :(

[Pippa68]

I am also allergic to nickel.. although I can wear silver, white gold & titanium.

[Pippa68]

Oh, another pain in the A is sunglasses ~ I can't wear any with a metal bridge or I end up with a rash either side of my nose!

very attractive... ;o)

[fms]

cool guys this all sound verrry familliar i have exatly the same ie jeans etc no problem with watches tho but i do with sunglasses we must be so pure hahaha

[Pippa68]

My belly button is itching as I type. I have done the nail polish thing on the jeans fastener, but my belt buckle is giving me jip!

[mazie]

All of the above for me too :o(

[fms]

yeah belts can b a pain basicly it as sonn as it comes in contact with the skin it jus strange how its all of a sudden as i never had any allergies as a kid hayfever or otherwise then as you get older you seem to cop the lot!!!!

[Pippa68]

It doesn't seem to matter if the metal isn't in direct contact to my skin either.

I had a pair of shoes with a buckle on the front. The tops of my feet itched madly within 20 minutes ~ despite a thick layer of leather between buckle & skin!

Too right about allergies..I have always had the nickel allergy, and a soap allergy too (can't wash my face with soap ~ everywhere else is fine!) but only in the past 2 years have I suffered with bite allergy & hayfever. I hate getting old!

[enigma]

It seems that what is the case for one , is not the case for others. I can't wear anything metal on any part of my body but I know some people who's skin only breaks out if they wear a watch or just earrings but are okay on other body parts. Just your luck I guess.

That's a great tip from Kirsty about the clear nail varnish. I will definitely try that. Beats fiddling about with cotton wool in your jeans. I note that you say that your skin first broke out when you were 21 and I wondered at what age others were affected. Who about you fms , is this a new thing ? I first noticed it at 8 when I got my ears pierced. My ears swelled up and were bright red and itchy , so I had to take them out and the holes closed up. I tried again at 10 but the same thing happened , only this time , the butterfly clips went inside the holes on the back of my ears - very painful having them removed. I didn't bother again until I was eighteen and this time had them pierced with gold studs and I was fine. It was only my ears to begin with , then I found I couldn't wear a watch with metal and by about 21 I found that I couldn't wear anything at all metal. What about everyone else ? Fms ?

[redcrx]

fms,
youre really in the wars at the moment arent you
Im allergic to nickel too.
Try painting the inside of your belts with a clear nail varnish. this can act as a barrier and stop the reaction sometimes.
It is possible to suddenly become allergic to things as youve found out. You may find that certain things trigger your asthma too, even if mildly.

[fms]

i first noticed it about 5 years ago

[fms]

a friend of mine has fairly rencently become allegic to prawns strange because he loves them it has now got to the point that if he eats them it will mean a trip to the hospital he said that we have a tolerance for almost everything but this level of tolerance is capped over the years it build and builds til we reach the point where even the slightest glimpse of the offending article sends us over the edge

[Pippa68]

That's very true, fms.

I have had my nickel & soap-on-my-face allergy ever since I was a wee nipper. The hayfever and intolerance to certain food has come later on, in my early 30's and beyond.

I dread the day I become allergic to prawns. I so hope it doesn't happen!

[Lore]

I've always had the nickel problem and have really sensitive skin - soap is a no no, certain brands of make up, any perfumed products create a mass of itching and rashes, even washing up liquid - not that I use that in the shower or anything!! :o\

I managed to get to my late 20's before asthma, eczema, slight hayfever and bite allergies kicked in.

Asthma, hayfever and eczema are all closely linked, you usually develop two or more eventually.

[Pippa68]

Funnily enough the only washing up liquid I can't use is classic fairy liquid. The lemon version is fine, but the normal one has my hands turn into something awful. Like creature from the black lagoon fingers!

If I use soap it makes my face look like someone has slashed my face ~ I get lines as if I have been whipped, rather than a rash.

[Lore]

Hehe, if ever there was a war going on in this country, they could use all these products on us and make us wear nickel for a couple of weeks previous to any sort of combat - then put us all on the front line - no one would come near us!

fms - try not to worry to much, it won't be long till your teeth fall out and you've got a gimpy leg! :op

If I were a horse I'd be worried about loud bangs just now!!

[enigma]

I too seem to have a lot of allergies which include strawberries , eggs , Augmentin (An antibiotic. I only discovered this when I was given it to combat a fever I developed in labour with my eldest daugher and on taking it , my face swelled and my jaw locked. My hubby thought that it was a bonus that I couldn't really talk for a while lol !) , oranges , anything containing citric acid etc. I am also mildly asthmatic and suffer from hayfever and I had heard too that these are linked , just as Lore said.

My health visitor told me that they have now discovered that improper weaning ie too early or being exposed to too many different foods too quickly can lead to allergies in later life. That is why they advise weaning to start a bit later now and to only introduce a new food every couple of days to see if there is a reaction. Also , if you suffer from a food allergy , it is advised that you wait longer to give your kids common problem allergy inducing foods such as oranges and eggs. My mum swears that she weaned me correctly though ! My parents don't have these food allergies (although my mum has the nickel allergy) but my brother and sister both are slightly asthmatic and my brother has hayfever - as does my mum. I don't know how much of it is genetic and how much is due to external stimulants in the environment. All I know is that my sister hates oranges and eggs and won't eat them and I love them but can't eat them. Sods law eh ?!!

[fms]

yep its a slippery slope but hey ho were all duffers jus gettin on with it :~)