Nickel is a metal that is in lots of costume jewelry, and in zippers and belt buckles. Nickel is also a metal that is in lots of foods. It is more common to have a reaction to nickel on the outside of your body, than on the inside, but it does happen. First, let’s look at an allergy to nickel on the outside of the body, and then we will look at a nickel allergy on the inside of the body.

If you wear a wrist watch and the area of your wrist that is in contact with the back of the watch breaks out in a rash, you might have an allergy to nickel. When you wear a belt buckle and if any part of the buckle touches your skin and you break out, you may have an allergy to nickel. The same thing goes with earrings. Some people wear costume earrings, which are made with nickel, and after a day or two the skin on their ear lobes begins to get red and raw. Sometimes the ears will get so raw that they get infected.

If your skin is very sensitive to costume jewelry, belt buckles, and wrist watches, you may be allergic to nickel. Therefore, you might want to try wearing jewelry made of some different type of metal. You may want to get away from metal altogether for some items. For instance, you might want to wear a watch with a fabric backing between your skin and the watch. The allergic reaction happens when your skin comes in contact with nickel, because your skin is moist. Your skin perspires at all times, whether you realize it or not. The sweat that comes from your body is salt water, and salt water will break down metals. When the nickel on the back of your watch comes in contact with your perspiration, the nickel breaks down and enters your skin. Your body then reacts by developing an allergic rash. Most of your costume jewelry, including gold plated jewelry is made with a nickel alloy. If you are allergic to nickel, you should try wearing silver and gold. You might find that you can wear jewelry that is made of silver and gold without having an allergic reaction.

Nickel is also in some of the foods that we eat. We need nickel, just like we need sodium, potassium and iron. However, the daily requirement of nickel is just a trace amount, and if we get too much nickel, we could have a serious reaction. Nickel is in green beans, peas and some other vegetables and fruits. Some dried vegetables and fruits tend to have a higher nickel content, so if you are sensitive to nickel, you should try eating only fresh vegetables and fruits.

If you have an allergy or sensitivity to nickel, you should be careful what you cook with. Many of the less expensive pieces cookware are made with different types of metal alloys, including nickel. Therefore, you should only use quality pieces of cookware. If you bought your cookware from a discount store, chances are the cookware is made with nickel. If you are sensitive to nickel, you should avoid using stainless steel cookware, as well as most aluminum cookware. However, there is a type of aluminum cookware that is safe, the aluminum cookware made with anodized aluminum is specially treated to be safe to use. If you do use stainless steel and plain aluminum cookware, it is important not to cook any acidic foods in them, because the acid can react with the metal. You should also avoid Teflon coated pots and pans if you are allergic to nickel, because the Teflon can chip off and you may be exposed to trace amounts of nickel. Some of the safest cookware are those that are coated with ceramic. Cast iron, and a steel/copper mix type of cookware are also considered safe to use when you have a sensitivity to nickel.

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