subject: What To Do If You Have Sensitive Ears [print this page] Do your ears feel unusually tender or itchy after you've worn earrings all day? If so, you may be allergic to the kind of material in the earrings you're wearing. Other symptoms that you may be allergic include: peeling, swollen and/or irritated ears; red, scabby rash on the ear lobes; discomfort, soreness and pain. If it is indeed allergies, it is likely that you may be allergic to anything but real metal. This means to avoid break outs, you'll need to stay away from earrings made of anything but gold (both white and silver gold), or steel (sterling, platinum or surgical). The problem with this is that not only are these earrings expensive, moreover, even very expensive gold earrings often use nickel alloy posts. On the other hand, if you are like 50% of the population that has pierced ears, you may just have sensitive ears. Generally speaking, this means that your ear's skin is sensitive only to the nickel metal used in lots of jewelry sold today. Breathe a sigh of relief -- this isn't SO bad.
To begin with, there are a lot of earrings on the market today that are marketed as hypoallergenic. While hypoallergenic jewelry may be the answer for people with acute symptoms (hypoallergenic means "less" irritation, NOT irritation free), people with higher sensitivity beware! Since these earrings are generally made of stainless steel, and not sterling, platinum or surgical steel, they can still irritate ears. Certainly if you're allergic, these hypoallergenic earrings will still trigger an allergic reaction.
Of course, the majority of the trendy, stylish and admittedly inexpensive earrings sold in stores today are made of nickel, the most common skin irritant. Rather than purchase the expensive version of these trendy styles, there are a few simple do it yourself tricks that may allow you to wear your costume jewelry irritation-free! One such trick that has proven successful for some is to cover the earring's posts (the part that goes in your ear) completely with clear nail polish and let dry. To be safe, cover any part of the earring that may come in contact with your skin. Once dried, you are free to wear the earrings -- the nail polish essentially acts as a protectant for your ear. Note however, this is just a short-term solution, and the earrings will likely need to be re-coated after each wear. Another trick to lessen your chances of irritation or infection is to apply rubbing alcohol and/or polysporin on your ear lobes before wearing the earrings. Like the nail polish trick however, this does not guarantee you relief, and in fact, many people find that neither trick works for them.
Thus, if you find that you must buy gold or steel earrings, begin your search online to make sure that you get the best quality at the best price. This will also allow you to compare a variety of styles and designs. Often times, auction sites will run incredible deals on jewelry - just be sure that what you're buying has never been worn before. In addition, you will want to make sure when you are buying gold that they are not just "gold-clad" or "gold-coated" earrings, as these will wear off and still irritate your skin.
