If you have an allergy to metals like nickel allergy, you might be at a loss as to which metal is safe to use for personal accessories. NoNickel can help with finding the correct nickel free belt, buckle, watch, ring etc. But what metal is safe for hip replacements and endovascular stents?
Titanium has long been thought of by physicians as a "safe" metal. According to Fisher's Contact Dermatitis Book, "Documented allergy to titanium is exceedingly rare, so if tests to other metals are positive titanium is as safe an alternative as possible."
Personal Accessories
Titanium can be polished to a luster and is corrosion-resistant--perfect for eye glass frames, belts, buckles, watches and rings.
There are at least 50 grades of titanium. Titanium is often alloyed with iron, aluminum, vanadium, molybdenum, nickel, among other elements, to produce strong lightweight alloys for aerospace, military, industrial, automotive, and medical industries.
Nickel Smart™ Titanium products are not alloyed with nickel!
Bio Medical Devices
What should you do?
- Be pro-active! Tell all your health care providers that you have or suspect a nickel or metal allergy.
- Dermatologists or allergists specialized in patch testing can diagnosis what specific metal(s) you are allergic to.
- Alternatives are available for most devices including the nickel-titanium alloys.
- When a procedure is required, verify that the metal(s) you are allergic to are not in the device being implanted especially if an alloy is being used.
- Remember a reaction is extremely rare, but be proactive.
Copyright © 2003-2010 Athena Allergy Inc. All rights reserved.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Don't Let Nickel Allergy Scare You Away From Having Fun!
Halloween is such a great time of year: candy, costumes and carved pumpkins. But if you have nickel allergy, you know that finding nickel free costume props can be a little scary. Typically, the inexpensive jewelry and accessories used to adorn costumes are laden with nickel because it is durable and cheap.
Very few online costume sites mention the material the accessory is made of, so it is difficult to shop for safe items.
Items that may contain nickel:
- Belts and buckles (think cowboys and pirates)
- Boning in corsets
- Bracelets
- Canes, staffs, pitch forks
- Earrings
- Eye glass frames
- Gold-especially white and yellow 10k and 14k
- Grills for teeth (think rapper)
- Hair pins and clips
- Hand bag clutches
- Headbands
- Heirloom jewelry
- Metal buttons and snaps
- Necklaces
- Rings
- Suspender clips
- Swords and sabers
- Tiaras
- Wands- magical of course!
- Watches
- Wings- fairy/angel
- Zippers
If you are unsure if an item contains nickel, don't wait for your skin to tell you! Nickel Alert™ nickel detection kit can quickly and easily test for nickel in anything metal saving you from a painful rash.
Once nickel is detected, apply clinically proven Nickel Guard™ nickel barrier coating to ensure there is no direct skin to metal contact and no nickel allergy rash.
Dressing up for Halloween is too much fun to give up. Simply use Nickel Alert and Nickel Guard, the Nickel Solution™ kit to avoid a nickel allergy rash.
Wow, what a busy year! It is hard to believe it has been a whole year since the acquistion of NoNickel.com. Besides expanding the product line and the typical improvements to the site to make shopping easier and quicker, the most important thing we did this year was to set the standard for Nickel Free!
Our goal was simple, improve and expand the product line. Achieving our goal proved most difficult.
After contacting more than 20 manufactures, we quickly learned they were not all trustworthy. Nickel-free plating over nickel laden base metal was standard industry practice. Prototype belts were designed, ordered, and then tested. Most tested positive immediately, while others a gentle scrape revealed nickel. This process was frustrating and expensive.
We knew then a standard for nickel free was needed and we were going to set it, certify it and guarantee it! That is how the Nickel Smart™ brand was born and Certified Nickel Free™ the new standard of excellence established.
We at Athena Allergy have always been the experts in nickel allergy, now we have leveraged that knowledge to bring you the first brand Nickel Smart™ all Certified Nickel Free.
Our guarantee is simple: If you ever have a problem with our products, whether incorrect size or broken buckle, we will make it right - Period.
Athena Allergy, Inc. aquired the assets of NoNickel.com on September 12, 2009 to expand their business into nickel allergy.
Athena Allergy is the leader in nickel allergy solutions.
If you have nickel allergy, you are probably all too familiar with gambling on whether a new watch/earrings will cause a rash....even if the jewelry is "hypo-allergenic".
Now there is a quick and easy way to test for nickel in jewelry before your skin tells you! Nickel Alert is a nickel test kit for detecting nickel in watches, belt buckles, earrings and other metal items.
Within 15 seconds, you can tell if your jewelry contains nickel. Simply place a few drops of the solution onto a cotton swab and rub the metal area that will come in contact with your skin. If the swab turns a pink/red color, you know nickel is present and to take protective measures.
Nickel Alert is a ready-to-use dimethylglyoxime (dmg) spot test for nickel and works by picking up oxidized nickel ions. The nickel test is pre-mixed and pre-measured for both accuracy and convenience. This reduces mess and inaccurate test results.
This nickel test is so sensitive that it detects nickel below the threshold of even the most severely nickel allergic individual.
Since the nickel test is quick, easy and safe to use, it is ideal to take with you on you next shopping trip to the mall. Nickel Alert will not harm metal and can be used to test jewelry for nickel prior to purchasing.
Save your money and your skin, order Nickel Alert-nickel test kit.
Link found between nickel from diet and hand eczema.
For many people nickel allergy means they have a difficult time wearing jewelry that contains nickel. A rash would appear where their skin touches the metal unless they used Nickel Guard barrier.
Studies have found that certain foods which are high in nickel can cause problems for nickel allergic individuals. The nickel ingested from the diet can contribute to systemic contact dermatitis (an all over body rash) and especially aggravate hand eczema (hand dermatitis).
Everyone ingests nickel on a daily basis. Nickel is everywhere. The amount of nickel ingested varies and depends on whether the food is grown in nickel-rich soil, whether the food is fresh or canned, the cooking utensils used and the amount of nickel in the water that is consumed.
Before giving up chocolate, contact a dermatologist or allergist specializing in contact dermatitis to see if a low nickel diet is recommended.
Individuals who have severe nickel allergy and have hand eczema (hand dermatitis) may do well to reduce the following foods known to be high in nickel:
- Almonds
- Asparagus
- Baking powder
- Brown lentils
- Beans
- Cabbage
- Canned foods
- Chocolate
- Corn
- Food cooked with or in nickel-containing utensils
- Hazelnuts
- Herring
- Licorice
- Margarine
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Oysters
- Peanuts
- Pears
- Peas
- Raisins
- Rhubarb
- Spinach
- Sprouts
- Tea
- Tomatoes
- Walnuts
- Whole meal flour
Nickel is also found in medications, vitamins and herbal remedies. Further discussions to follow.
Cookware can tested for nickel to determine nickel content.
Dr. Dennis Gross tests a cell phone with Nickel Alert.
Dennis Gross, MD renowned New York dermatologist speaks with Harry Smith from CBS's The Early Show about cell phone rash caused by nickel in phones. Dr. Gross demonstrates how to test for nickel using Nickel Alert.
Nickel Alert is a ready to use dimethylglyoxime (dmg) spot test for nickel. Nickel Alert is pre-mixed and pre-measured for both accuracy and convenience. Nickel Alert quickly, easily and safely tests jewelry and other metal items like watches, jean snaps and cell phones to determine if nickel is present.
Who would have thought that your cell phone could give you a rash!
People who are allergic to nickel may have a difficult time with trendier cell phones. A clinical study shows that more fashionable cell phones often contain nickel in the metallic accents. After using these cell phones, a rash (dermatitis) appears on the face and ear where nickel makes contact with the skin.
When possible, nickel sensitive individuals should test cell phones for nickel using a dimethylglyoxime (dmg spot) test before purchasing a phone or if nickel is suspected. Test any metal on a cell phone, especially, logos, menu buttons and around LCD screens.
If your mobile phone tests positive for nickel, there are possible several solutions. Ear buds, headsets or a speaker phone can be used in addition to a plastic cover or simply coat the non-moving part with Nickel Guard to provide a barrier from the nickel.
If you test and identify nickel in your phone, let us know and we will posit it here and update the list of phones which contain nickel. Include the brand, model # and where the nickel was found.
Athena Allergy, the experts in nickel allergy, has launched a new, expanded website. This comprehensive website covers topics which directly impact daily life for nickel allergy sufferers.
Some of the topics include:
- How to easily test for nickel in metal items
- 39 Common items that may contain nickel
- How to safely protect yourself from nickel
- Nickel in jewelry-Yes, even "nickel free" jewelry!
- FAQ's on nickel allergy, Nickel Alert and Nickel Guard
An exciting feature of the new site is an area called Nickel Allergy News. This area provides up to date information on nickel allergy from around the world. The first news item featured is Cell Phone Dermatitis. The page includes a list of cell phones which tested positive for nickel.
The updated site also features an easier to use check out area with multiple payment options including Google Checkout and Paypal. Athena Allergy now offers refills for Nickel Alert and Nickel Guard in addition to the complete kit, Nickel Solution.
Your comments and ideas for new nickel allergy articles are welcome.
