Real life: nickel allergy

My nickel allergy scarred me for life
When Sunita Nersian, 22, had her belly button pierced one year ago, it triggered a nickel allergy that nearly put an end to her jewellery-wearing days.

‘Stealing glances at the needle, my stomach flipped with nerves, but as
I looked at the pretty selection of bars and hoops, I knew I wouldn’t regret it. I selected a simple bar with two balls on the end and braced myself for the cold jab of the metal.

‘I always fancied having my belly button pierced. Some of my friends had it done and it looked nice. They’d taken the plunge, so how bad could it be? Sure enough, it didn’t hurt a bit.

‘I didn’t want to risk catching an infection, so I followed the after-care instructions carefully and cleaned it with a saline solution several times a day. I was told it should heal completely within four weeks but it soon became apparent that it wouldn’t be that simple for me.

‘The skin around my belly button piercing got red and sore. The itching was unbearable and it soon became puffy and cracked – it even hurt when I sat down.

‘I thought about taking the bar out, but somehow I persevered – I knew that if I removed it before four weeks, the hole would close over and all the pain I’d been through would have been for nothing. Finally, three months later, I took out the bar but I was shocked to see that the skin around it had hardened and left small red scars on my stomach.

‘I’d read a lot about nickel allergy and it suddenly clicked that I must be allergic. Nickel is commonly used in jewellery, hair clips, watches and clothes fastenings, so I stopped wearing any of these things or having them next to my skin.

‘Nowadays, I wear a pink charm through my belly button, which is made from sterling silver. It’s not cheap – £30 for a tiny jewel – but it’s worth every penny if it doesn’t trigger a flare-up.

‘I have to be careful about everything I wear – if it isn’t pure silver, gold or sterling silver, it will cause a reaction. Even gold-plated jewellery won’t do as the coating wears off.

‘I’ve probably had a nickel allergy all my life but it wasn’t until I had my belly button pierced that it came to light. It’s a shame because I love wearing pretty, sparkly fashion jewellery but this often contains nickel so I know if I wear it I’ll get an itchy, bubbly rash.

‘Once I have a reaction, I can’t get any relief. Even if I take off the jewellery, the rash remains and the itching continues for at least a few days. I still buy fashion jewellery, although I always end up regretting it. Maybe I’ll never learn, but if other people can wear what they like and look good, I want to too.

‘Once, I was out shopping with a friend when I started scratching my arm as I was wearing a nickel bracelet. I told her about my allergy and she suggested covering the bracelet with clear nail varnish to make a barrier between the metal and my skin. Amazingly, it worked! Now, if I want to wear fashion jewellery, I call on my handy bottle of nail varnish, but I realise it isn’t a long-term solution. The only way I can really avoid a reaction is not to wear nickel at all.

‘I’m the only one in my family who has the allergy, so it can’t be genetic. It makes it difficult to buy me birthday presents as I love jewellery, but owning only gold or silver is fine with me!’

what is nickel allergy?
Around 18 per cent of people have a nickel allergy – where skin becomes read, itchy and sore after direct contact with metal containing nickel. Nickel is found in belt buckles, watches and jewellery and exposure to it can lead to a lifelong sensitivity. Experts believe the trend for body piercing is to blame for the rise in nickel allergy. Dan Harrison, Principal of the British Institute of Allergy and Environmental Therapy says, ‘I would advise people against body piercing to prevent nickel allergies’. European Union guidelines say that earrings should contain less than 0.05 per cent nickel by weight, but a large amount of jewellery can still cause problems. See www.allergymatters.com for a selection of nickel-free jewellery.