02.16.07

Allergies………….again

Posted in Life, the Universe and All that Jazz at 8:32 pm by Meg

Remember when I wrote about Girl’s metal allergies? Well, I thought last year was bad.

Since early October she has been breaking out with a rash all over the backs of her legs and knees, and her tummy, and her back. So, since we’re home and all, I made her a dermatologist appointment. This week we finally got in to see her.

The good news - I like this doctor and she had a lot of helpful insights.

The bad news - We learned a lot more details about nickel sensitivities that the dermatologist that we saw 3 years ago didn’t tell us.

For anyone not familiar with nickel allergies, here’s a little statistic - “The incidence of nickel dermatitis, which appears to be increasing, is estimated to be 14% to 20% of women and 2% to 4% of men in the United States. The primary means of sensitizing women to nickel is widely accepted to be the popular practice of ear piercing, usually with nickel-plated studs and clasps. Sensitivity has even been shown to develop in infants who have their ears pierced within the first few weeks of life.”

It turns out that there’s a whole list of foods that nickel sensitive people should not eat:

• anything out of a can unless it’s lined (the inside is coated with a white subsistence)
• anything cooked in cast-iron
• herring and oysters
• asparagus
• beans
• mushrooms
• onions
• corn
• spinach
• tomatoes
• peas
• whole-grain flour
• fresh or cooked pears
• rhubarb
• tea
• cocoa and chocolate
• baking powder

So, while Girl is in active reaction mode we are trying to avoid a lot of things on the list. Once her legs and all heal up, we’ll try to follow a normal diet.

The doctor also gave us a list of 20 instructions for nickel sensitive people.

1. you will probably remain sensitive in nickel for the rest of your life.
2. you are especially susceptible to a rash when the weather is hot and when you are perspiring
3. sweat dissolves nickel out of metal, even through a layer of cloth, paint, nail polish, and adhesive tape
4. very small quantities of nickel can produce a rash where the nickel contacts the skin and may even be conveyed by perspiring fingers to distant areas
5. many metals contain some nickel, including 14K yellow and white gold. Stainless steel contains nickel, but it is so firmly bound in the steel that it does not leach out with ordinary contact. Thus, stainless steel earrings are fine
6. earrings marked ‘hypoallergenic’ can still cause a rash because they will release nickel. - they must be marked ‘nickel-free’
7. there is a chemical test for nickel (dimethylglyoxime test) that you can purchase to test various objects -(a web search for somewhere to buy it didn’t work, but the doctor said to try Dermatologic Lab and Supply in Council Bluffs, IA) - though I have trouble believing most stores will be willing to let me spread a chemical over something before I purchase it.
8. be careful of the following wearing apparel: garter snaps, wire brassiere cup supports, sanitary napkin pins, zippers, hooks and snaps on undergarments, eyelets on shoes, metal arch support, shoe and belt buckles, jewelry, medallions, ID tags, watch bands, blue jean metallic buttons - substitute with plastic snaps, buttons and Velcro
9. you need to hold a nickel-releasing coin for more than 3 mins to develop a rash. Coins can produce a rash if kept loose in a pocket for a prolonged period, use a plastic bag
10. you may react to metal keys - substitute with aluminum
11. be careful of household utensils, vacuum cleaners, sewing machines, needles, scissors, thimbles, drawer handles, paper clips, and ‘old-fashioned’ telephone dials
12. substitute wood for metal chairs and arm rests or put seat covers on and cover arm rests with thick fabric, chrome-plated objects contain nickel
13. use all plastic eyeglass frames. coating frames with a polyurethane varnish is only a temporary measure.
14. rashes on your hands may come from: cigarette lighter, lipstick case, pens, pencils, scissors, needles, vacuum cleaners, razors, door handles, hand bags, carriages, kitchen utensils, thimbles, typewriter parts, bicycle handle bars, metal sinks or umbrellas
15. rashes on the head and face may be caused by: hairpins, curlers, bobby pins, eyelash curlers, earrings, spectacle frames, metal pins held in the mouth, and applying lipstick with a metal lipstick holder
16. rashes on the body may be from: necklaces, medallions, metal ID tags, wire brassiere cup supports, zippers, eyelets on shoes, metal arch support, bracelets, napkin safety pins, and button on jeans
17. cook with stainless steel, Teflon, or aluminum pots and pans.
18. ask your dentist to not use nickel-plated instruments, use stainless steel instead
19. any surgery that requires the insertion of metal parts should use special metals - including heart valve installations
20. nickel containing liquids can penetrate rubber gloves - use heavy duty vinyl gloves.

For anyone curious, it was #12 that (we think) caused the rashes on her legs. She was using a metal folding chair to sit in when she uses her computer. - DUH - it turns out that the nickel can affect you through blue jeans!

The doctor also confirmed that Girl does have atopic dermatitis or eczema (and it is inherited) which means that she doesn’t produce enough body oils. The idea of being ‘allergic to soap’ is really just that the soap destroys what little body oils that she does produce. To deal with it, she gave us a list of management tools, including:

• 2 minute showers
• 15 minute soaks each night - without soap, but with a good miscible bath oil (it mixes into the water) followed by any medications and lotions in the first 5 mins. after she gets out of the water. (also pat dry, not rub)

So now we’ll see if we can get her skin to calm down and heal over.

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