subject: Sensitive Earrings Are Becoming Easier To Find [print this page] The demand for sensitive earrings has become more popular than ever before. One reason is because people are getting more body piercings than in the past. Ear piercing has gone back to Biblical times, but even though piercing of other parts of the body can be traced as far back as 1500 BC and in some African and tribal cultures, it did not gain popularity in modern Western mainstream culture until the 1990's.
Body piercing of any sort is done for a variety of reasons; tradition, religion, rebellion, self-expression and aesthetic appeal just to name a few. Multi- piercings, such as two piercings in the ear have become very popular, but some people go to extremes with piercings. The Guinness Book of World Records shows the most piercings on a woman in 2006 to be 4,225, which she later increased to 6,005 in 2009.
Body piercing is definitely not risk free. As with any invasive procedure, there are always risks involved such as allergic reaction, infection and scarring, physical and oral trauma. The best way to help prevent risks is to have the procedures done by professionals wearing gloves, using sterilized equipment and high quality jewelry made with Titanium or other inert metals.
Allergic reaction to some metals, such as nickel, can occur almost immediately or build up over time. Some symptoms of this allergy include redness and swelling, itching and blisters. Sweating and contact with water can trigger these symptoms. Usually the rash only occurs at the point of contact but can be spread to other areas of the body through touching the irritated area and then touching other parts of the body.
Once you have an allergic reaction to nickel, it will never go away. Using a cream corticosteroid on the rash may help relieve the discomfort but will not solve the problem.
There are many people who have a severe allergy to nickel. Unfortunately, nickel is found in much of the lesser expensive jewelry items. Therefore many people are unable to wear these without breaking out into a severe rash making it impossible to wear any jewelry in that area until the rash is under control. Nickel is not the only metal that causes allergic reactions, gold is also another problem for some individuals.
With the growing popularity of body piercing and the number of people who have allergic reactions to certain metals, the production of wearable jewelry for these people is expanding. Nickel-free, also known as hypoallergenic jewelry is becoming more available. This type of sensitive earrings can now be found in a wide variety and priced as regular earrings. Other types of jewelry, such as watches, necklaces, and bracelets are now also available in these hypoallergenic materials.
If people know they have a nickel allergy, problems can be avoided by making sure piercing needles are made of stainless steel and the initial earrings are also made of 18-karat gold or stainless steel. If there are some good pieces of jewelry worn daily but cause reactions, a jeweler can plate these items with platinum or other non-allergic metal.
Those with an allergic reaction to some jewelry can be assured that there are several options to be found. They do not have to go without jewelry altogether. They just need to do a little shopping around for a hypoallergenic alternative.
