Your concern
Nickel allergy
The commonest contact sensitisation: costume jewellery, buttons, buckles — and the test that confirms it.
Nickel is the commonest cause of allergic contact dermatitis, and the sites give it away: earlobes, wrists, neck, navel. That red ring just below the navel is no coincidence — it is the jeans button, sitting there for hours every day.
The reaction is not immediate: it typically appears hours or days after contact, which breaks the cause-and-effect link in the patient's mind and makes it hard to recognise alone. And it is a permanent sensitisation: once acquired it does not pass, and it recurs every time contact is repeated, even with very small amounts.
Two things must be said precisely, because much confusion circulates on this subject. First: the diagnosis is made with patch tests, not with personal experience, because other substances give identical pictures and do-it-yourself leads to eliminating the wrong things. In our organisation testing is performed at the Siena clinic. Second, on diet: a low-nickel diet is often offered as a general remedy, but it concerns a different and less common picture than contact dermatitis. For most people allergic to nickel, cutting out tomatoes and chocolate does not change the redness on the earlobes.
A nickel-free diet is not the answer for almost anyone
This is where the most misplaced expectations arrive, often built online. Nickel contact allergy concerns skin that touches metal: it is addressed by identifying the sensitisation and removing the contact, not by changing the shopping list. A distinct and considerably less common picture exists in which dietary intake plays a part, but it is a different matter and must be documented. Before eliminating whole food groups — with the nutritional and social cost that entails — it is worth knowing which of the two pictures applies, and the test says that, not an article.
How it shows
- Redness and itching where a metal object touches the skin
- Typical sites: earlobes, wrists, neck, navel, fingers
- Onset hours or days after contact
- Constant recurrence at the same points
- Sometimes blisters and, in chronic forms, thickened skin
- Worsening with sweat, which increases metal release
How we proceed
- 1Dermatological visit: sites of lesions and their relationship to objects
- 2Review of contacts: jewellery, clothing, work tools
- 3Patch testing to confirm the sensitisation (Siena clinic)
- 4A practical avoidance strategy, object by object
- 5Treatment of the active phase and later review
Available treatments
- Dermatology visit
- Patch testing
- Targeted therapy
- Scheduled follow-up
Book a visit
Our specialists will evaluate your case and define the most suitable treatment plan.
Book in FlorenceBook in SienaSiena · Firenze
Frequently asked questions
Can I still wear earrings?+
Yes, choosing materials that do not release nickel: titanium, certified surgical steel, high-carat gold. The point to know is that «hypoallergenic» on the packaging is not a guarantee, because it corresponds to no verifiable standard, and that sweat increases metal release — so in summer and during sport the same jewellery causes more trouble. After testing, a concrete list of what to avoid can be drawn up.
Does it pass with time?+
No: once acquired, nickel sensitisation is permanent. That does not mean symptoms are continuous — they stay silent as long as there is no contact — but that the mechanism remains ready to reactivate. This is useful information because it removes the idea of «trying again in a few years», and moves attention where it belongs: to practical management of contact.
How do I know whether an object contains nickel?+
Labels rarely declare it, and that is the main everyday difficulty. Quick tests exist that can be applied to an object and give an indication within minutes, and they are one of the things recommended after diagnosis. In practice the usual suspects are few and recurring: metal jeans buttons, belt buckles, watch straps, bra fastenings, spectacle frames, keys.
Related reading
Have a question? Let's talk.
Book a first visit: the physician will evaluate your situation and guide you to the most suitable treatment.
Book a dermatology visit