Erin Dunn of Atlanta, Georgia, developed an “extremely painful” rash that scorched bright red, dry patches around her eyes, ears, lips and hands.
She tried to treat her ailment for six months by changing her diet, her makeup and even her pet’s food, but nothing seemed to cure the condition, she shared in a TikTok that now has more than 1.1 million views .
That is until she decided on a whim to take off her fake gold earrings, which she bought for “extremely cheap” from an unnamed online retailer.
Within 24 hours, her condition began to improve, leading her to believe that perhaps the accessories had been the problem all along.
The healthcare worker had likely developed an allergy to nickel, a metal commonly found in jewelry that can cause flaky, dry and painful eczema patches on the skin, Dr. Azadeh Shirazi, board-certified dermatologist and founder of AziMD skincare, told DailyMail.com.
Mrs. Dunn probably suffered from a nickel allergy. With this condition, the person exposed to the product will develop eczema
When the rash first appeared around her eyes, Ms. Dunn went to the ophthalmologist for answers. Her optometrist gave her eye drops that eased her pain, but sent her home with no cure for her skin.
From there, Ms. Dunn made lifestyle changes in an attempt to find out what was causing her skin condition. For a while, she thought her mascara might be the culprit, and spent “a lot of money” replacing her makeup.
However, nothing seemed to help and everyday life was painful. She couldn’t even wash her face because every time she rubbed or put something on the affected area, “it would hurt like hell,” she said.
Finally, she removed her earrings and rings and within 24 hours, Ms. Dunn said her symptoms began to subside.
Although she blamed her reaction on her cheap jewelry, she assured her followers that this won’t happen to everyone who buys cheap accessories.
Although Ms. Dunn claimed that the nickel in her earrings and rings must have traveled through her bloodstream, Dr. Shirazi said that is not how these skin reactions work.
For the rash to develop, a person must have had direct contact with nickel for an extended period of time. So in Ms. Dunn’s case, Dr. Shirazi said it is not possible that the rash around her eyes was caused by her earrings unless she had rubbed them on her eyes.
Although she cannot know for sure without seeing Ms. Dunn in person, Dr. Shirazi said it is possible that Ms. Dunn rubbed her eyes and that the rings on her hand could have caused the rash, or that she used an eyelash curler or used eye shadow. that contained nickel.
This type of allergy, called contact dermatitis, causes a person to develop eczema in the areas that come into contact with the allergen. Other chronic forms of eczema are caused by an overactive immune system.
Jewelers often add nickel to their products because it is cheaper than precious metals, but is also durable and adds shine
Eczema is a skin condition that causes irritated, dry, red patches to appear all over the skin. It can develop in response to an allergy or it can be a chronic condition.
This painful, dry skin condition is frustrating to deal with and can make a person more susceptible to developing infections when the skin breaks down, explains Dr. Shirazi.
Nickel is a metal often used in cheaper jewelry because it is durable, shiny and less expensive than fine metals, such as gold or silver.
Besides jewelry, you can also find it in make-up, buttons on jeans, mobile phones and scissors.
A nickel allergy can appear seemingly out of nowhere, but probably happens silently in the body over a long period of time.
There, the immune system responds to nickel and identifies it as a threat, prompting your body to respond to the metal as if it were a virus or bacteria, causing the skin to become inflamed and red.
Like peanut or pollen allergies, once you develop a nickel allergy, it generally doesn’t go away, Dr. Shirazi said.
It is also likely that if you develop a nickel allergy in one part of the body, the rest of your body will be sensitive as well.
So if you have a nickel allergy from a chain, you may still have a stomach reaction if you wear jeans with a nickel button.
Fortunately, the allergic rashes a person gets from cheap jewelry should go away on their own once the person stops using the product, said Dr. Shirazi.
Before it goes away, you can use soothing creams containing aloe or hydrocortisone to relieve your symptoms.
Ms Dunn’s video was flooded with users commiserating and sharing their similar experiences.
User Jessi Bell said: ‘Wait a minute. I’ve been working on something like this for a year now.’
‘I believe you. I am SO sensitive to metals and earrings. My ears start bleeding immediately and I’ve had them pierced since I was 3 (I’m 31),” user Taylorvalle added.
It’s no surprise that people are concerned about Ms. Dunn’s situation because this type of nickel allergy is quite common, especially in people who wear jewelry, Dr. Shirazi told this website.
The American Academy of Dermatology an estimated 18 percent of Americans have the allergy, including more than 11 million children.