When you wear earrings, your earlobes get dry and red and the skin peels off. It sounds as though you are sensitive to nickel, which is a common ingredient in inexpensive earrings. Nickel exposure from earrings is a common cause of dermatitis on the earlobes. You’re not alone: nickel sensitisation is quite common, with close 6 percent of people testing positive to it in a standard skin test. A 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology warns that up to a third of cheap earrings will contain nickel, especially if they are made in Asia, the USA or in Australia. It is less of a problem in Europe, where the use of nickel is more strictly regulated.
The solution is to stop wearing the offending earrings, repeated exposure only worsens the problem Look for earrings labelled “nickel-free” or “hypoallergenic”; other safe choices include stainless steel, platinum or gold.
