It wasn't until I got my ears pierced that I found out I'm allergic to nickel. It's a fairly common metal allergy, as far as that goes. Shout-out to my fellow sufferers because there are some definite struggles that girls who are allergic to nickel know all too well.
1. All those cheap, cute earrings? Can't wear them.
"Sensitive solutions?" Yeah, thanks for trying. I'll just weep over the affordable cards of 12 pairs of cute earrings I can't wear. Unless...
2. "Why do you own so many bottles of clear nail polish?"
Coating the posts of jewelry with nail polish keeps the metal from coming into contact with skin, so - voila! The ability to wear cute, cheap earrings is restored. The polish just need to be touched up regularly. Which is a hassle. But it's fine, really, it's totally fine.
3. Happily, with dangle earrings, there's a better way.
With some sterling silver or gold earring hooks and a pair of jewelry pliers, I can change the world! Or at least the hooks on my earrings so that I can wear them. All you need are a few minutes and some fine motor skills, and the extra money and wherewithal to purchase the tools. (Thanks, Mom.)
4. Watches, though, watches are harder.
You can't coat the whole thing with nail polish, unless you're really dedicated... or unless the band isn't metal. Then it's just the back of the watch itself that needs to be coated. Except the polish comes off really fast, because of all the friction. Honestly, it's a lot more stress than a watch warrants!
5. And forget about rings, necklaces and bracelets.
It's sterling silver, gold or plastic. With anything else, there's just too much contact! I didn't ask to have expensive tastes, and I don't want them!
6. The worst accessory, though: BELT BUCKLES.
7. No flutes for you!
Do you know what most flutes are made of? Did you guess an alloy of nickel and silver that will make my mouth and chin bleed? Congrats, got it in one. There go all my dreams of being a flute prodigy...
8. And beware of stringed instruments, too.
Violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar.... many instrument strings are wrapped in nickel. Who loves itchy rashes on their hands?! (There are plenty of string options without nickel, but you have to be wary. Constant vigilance, kids!)
9. And curse all the other sneaky nickel in our lives.
Have you ever considered that the back of the fastener on your jeans has nickel in it? I have. What about bobby pins? Metal headbands? Sunglasses? Zippers? Snaps? The backs of pins? Certain pairs of shoes? Keys? NICKELS? Literally anything that might contain nickel and might come into prolonged contact with skin is suspect.
10. Then there's the fear of becoming a "mystery illness solved" news story.
Does this face give you confidence?
A girl who couldn't eat for months because her braces were aggravating her nickel allergy? A woman who suffered nine months of "severe pain, weakness and fatigue" because of the nickel and cobalt in her knee replacement? Or the woman who suffered for almost two years because of the nickel in her artificial shoulder, or the woman who discovered that a dozen surgical clips had been left in her jaw after surgery and caused a "golf ball-sized swelling" before being removed?
NOPE. NOPE NOPE NOPE. Talk about nightmare fuel!
11. People not taking your allergy seriously.
Most of the news stories I linked to could have been avoided if doctors just checked with their patients about metal allergies! But they didn't, because we as a society don't think about metal allergies when we talk about medical issues. And as much as most of these struggles are "silly" and/or cosmetic, serious health problems can result from not taking metal allergies seriously. It's not just an excuse to only own high-quality jewelry, it's an actual medical condition that really does affect my life.
12. The moment when you find a nickel-free version of something you needed, though? Not a struggle.
Actual photo of my heart when I found a line of nickel-free jewelry at a local shoe store. Don't know why the shoe store had them, but it doesn't matter to me! At last, hoop earrings I can wear!
Do you have a nickel allergy and think I left something out? Want to commiserate on the struggle? Tweet me @pistolproof!
