Wearing jewelry can pose a real problem for some people as there are a number of metals that can cause allergy problems for those who wear them. One allergy of this type that seems more prevalent than any other is a nickel allergy; there are a large percentage of people that are allergic to this metal causing a number of different symptoms for those afflicted. Nickel is a very commonly used metal in cheap costume jewelry fortunately it is relatively easy to avoid this metal.
Nickel is present in a lot of metals not just jewelry so if you are allergic to this metal you will need to make sure that you watch for the signs of allergy and how it may be affecting you to see if it is a problem for you. You can find Nickel in items such as belt buckles, eye glass frames, and watch bands. The most offending problem that Nickel can cause is a contact dermatitis that can is itchy painful and can cause infection.
Nickel that is in earrings for instance may not be noticed right away, perhaps your ears hurt a bit but that is normal or so you think, caused by irritation at night or from earrings getting caught in your hair. It may however not be quite so simple, a nickel allergy may not immediately bother you other than a tiny bit of irritation or itching, but soon your ears may become inflamed and red, and then you may find that they are infected and pus and a clear watery fluid is coming out of your ear holes. This is contact dermatitis and is most often caused by a nickel allergy from cheap earrings.
You may break out in rash on your face, thinking again it is nothing important, however if you wear glasses you should be aware that almost every glass frame on the market has nickel in it. If you have a nickel allergy you will need to speak with your optometrist about ordering special nickel free eye glass frames or maybe getting contacts.
You will need to see if you can find nickel free watches and watch bands as well, if you have a nickel allergy, this can prove a bit more difficult but higher end watches often are nickel free and you can find leather or cloth watch bands if you are unable to find a metal one that is nickel free. Nickel allergy is common, meaning that it is relatively easy to find items that are free of this metal, you can expect to pay a bit more for them but most people find it is worth the extra cost not to have to deal with the consequences.