Have you ever experienced pain, redness, itching or rash after wearing a pair of earrings? If so, you might have experienced contact dermatitis, an allergic reaction caused by certain metals found in jewelry. Some metals, like nickel, are highly associated with this type of allergic reaction. The reaction may be mild in some people, only occurring after several hours or days or exposure, whereas other people may have severe effects almost immediately.
Metal allergies can develop at any age, but are linked to the immune system and level of exposure to the allergen. This means with repeated exposure, a person can develop an allergy to metal that they didn't previously have. Metal allergies can also become more severe with repeated exposure. For this reason, it is important to select high quality earrings, even for people who currently do not experience metal sensitivity.