allergic to metal

[snowflakegrl333]

Any suggestions? My 10 year old neice gets a nasty red itchy rash on her belly when she wears pants with a metal buttons or even if -the metal from a belt touches her skin. As a baby my sister used clear finger nail polish over the buttons which worked but unfortantly every thing she tries now fails. Any ideas to help? thank you

[Guest]

Hi snowflake,
I sympathise with your Neice as I have the same problem.
I suffered for years with a strange red tremendously itchy rash. Specialists finally diagnosed allergies to a list of things:
Paper, Cardboard, chewy, eye make-up, wash-up liquid, polish, including nickel. ( the list goes on and on)
Anyway, I won't bore you with this, I too have a problem with the metal on trousers and belts etc. Using nail polish was suggested to me but I never tried it. Can't see why it wouldn't work though, have you thought about your Neice possibly being allergic to the polish too?
I cover the metal on the buttons/studs with a bit of
micropore tape/plaster. You could also smear a little barrier cream on to the skin, such as vaseline or zinc and castor oil cream.
Beware, when your Neice gets her ears pierced when she is older she will have to watch what earrings she wears. I had to have a 22ct gold wedding ring as other golds turn my fingers black. (Poor Me! hehe.)

Hope this helps and good luck!
Scorpion xxx

[snowflakegrl333]

Thank u so much for taking the time to try to help my neice. I will pass on ur suggestions on to my sister and hopefully this will help. Good luck to u...and thank u!!

[Chade]

Hello-

I also suffer from a rash everytime metal touches my skin.
I consulted a doctor, and she said the nickel that comes off the metals when sweat and metal touch is what causes the rash. I tried wearing a layer of cloth in between my buttons and my skin and the rash healed. I also wore earrings and if they were not a high carat gold, then I would get a rash. Haha, I also wear glasses, and if the finish comes off of the side pieces, then my ears get cut from the metal.

Hope this helps.

Richard. I know this is for women's health, but heh-

[Guest]

I empathize with your niece’s situation. I too am allergic to everything except real gold. As for metal on snaps, I have tried several things.
- Patches: The most permanent solution is to sew a little patch over the back of the metal. This will last through laundering.
- Clear Nailpolish: She seems to have tried it but let her know that the high-end polishes work much better. They stay on longer and tend to be less irritable to the skin.
- Band-Aids: Get the small round ones that are made for fingertips. You can apply it directly to the back of the button and they stay on fairly well. Considering this is for a child, you may need something with more sticking power. I’ve also used surgical tape and moleskin, all can be found in any pharmacy. These have to be applied every time so it’s a bit of a pain.
Tell your niece good luck!
-Brig

[halley]

thanks snowflake, i was . the net trying to find out what my 1 year old is allergic to, sure enough, his 5 spots had 5 metal buttons on his shirt corresponding, thanks for sharing!