Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Allergic to my wedding rings!

I am sure that several of you have noticed in my pictures that many times, I am not wearing my wedding rings on my finger, but around my neck as a necklace. This would be due to the fact that I am somehow allergic to them after 4-5 years of marriage/engagement. CRAZY!!! I've heard of people becoming allergic to their white gold wedding bands due to the nickel, but mine are pure platinum.

Yup, I'll put them on for a couple of HOURS on a Saturday, then by Sunday- these are what my finger looks like. It continues to get red, blister, and crack open, then peel.


THE BEGINNING STAGES OF MY RASH



RIDICULOUS right?! I KNOW I need to go to the dermatologist..I just haven't taken the time to find one and schedule an appointment. (I mean, what is she gonna be able to do anyway?) I've had my rings professionally cleaned several times...but they still break me out. I've tried to wear them on my right hand to see if they cause an allergy on the right hand as well, but they won't fit. BUMMER!

34 comments:

Audrey T said...

That's crazy, Suzanne! I don't know anyone else that's happened to.

Audrey T said...

Are you sure you're not allergic to being married?!?! Just kidding!

lauren said...

That happens to Elizabeth every once in a while! Hers are platinum, too!

Corrie said...

How ODD! Maybe a dermatologist could give you some cream or something to help. I'm sure this isn't that uncommon, so hopefully someone can help you out!

Anonymous said...

CRAZY!! This happened to me! I know excatly how to fix it! I'm serious! When I saw your picture of your finger, I gasped! It looked like my finger used to!You are NOT allergic to your rings. You need to stop washing your hands with it on. Or at least dry your hands REAL good. Oh, and do not put lotion on that spot your rings sits on. What is happening is that the water or lotion sits under the ring and irritates it. This doesn't happen to everybody. It took me 6 months to figure this out! My finger would BLISTER and turn raw...I couldn't wear my ring either! Try it, I KNOW it will clear up if you don't EVER get it wet or wear it with damp hands!!! I'm so excited that this might help you! Yeah!
Marcy

Suzanne said...

sweet marce...i've TRIED that! that's what i originally thought! but it hasn't helped in over 6 months! did i mention that after hours of wearing them (completely dry), my finger starts swelling to the point where it is very difficult to get them off?! so frustrating.

Amanda's News said...

That seriously sucks! I hope you make an appt. with the dermatologist and see what they have to say. Hopefully they can give you something that will cure your ring finger:)

Anonymous said...

This happens to me with my platinum wedding band and engagement ring also...but only when I'm pregnant - go figure!

TEXOSE said...

Ok I have done alittle research about this and apparently this is happening more and more...Here is a good website that I found that gives some advice. They also say that you might want to get a nickel testing kit...
http://www.finishing.com/337/77.shtml
It looks very painful and I think I would be crushed if this happened to me... HANG IN THERE!!!

Suzanne said...

anon- wow, that's crazy...mine has been happening since last August, so obviously that isn't my case. how bizzare!

cuz- thanks for the website, i will check it out!

Kristen OQ said...

The same things has been happening to me for a few years now -- sometimes it is better than others, sometimes it is really bad (bleeds, cracks, dries, peels). It is a bummer! Let me know if you find a miracle cure!

elizabeth said...

I don't know if it is allergic thing. I always thought that maybe I am not fully drying my hands after I wash them and moisture builds up.

This happens to a good friend of mine as well. I have used a cream in the past that seems to work. I can't remember the name of it, but I can probably find it. My finger looks just like yours when it happens.

Kimberly said...

That stinks! You need to wear that big ole rock so we must get you a solution!

lauren said...

Another post please!!!

Mae said...

I supppose that after you found out about the babies this may be something you aren't quite as concerned about, BUT the same thing happened to me w/ my platinum wedding set. My doc said it was a mixture of moisture and air and that I needed to have the back of my rings filled in. So, the good jeweler took care of that and I've been fine ever since. Also, a good cortozone cream took care of the rash in just a few days.

Jacinda said...

Mine will do this same thing! My ring is yellow gold though. It is "open" on the back (I don't know if that makes sense) and I do think from washing my hands and not getting my finger & ring completely dry it is irritating it.

Anonymous said...

Hi - I found your blog while looking at a friend's--I have the same ring issue, and you need to SCRUB! really, SCRUB the inside of your rings regularly. Just like you would for surgery. I work in a restaurant, and have the same problem (we call it fruit rot - a common bartender problem from squeezing citrus all the time.) You probably wear gloves a lot? Maybe not always with your rings on, but perhaps? You're probably a compulsive hand washer, like me: restaurant workers & medical professionals---we're clean like that! My jeweler friend sized my ring a bit larger & I keep it scrubbed well inside, and I don't have any problems unless I don't keep up with the scrubbing. I think bacteria builds up inside the engraving inside the band. Yuck! Plain ol' contact dermatitis will develop. In a few months, you'll probably have to give up the ring till after the babies come, anyway. Now's the time to invest in a nice chain so you can wear it around your neck!
Best wishes to you and your growing brood!

mom23 said...

I'm tucking this down here since you don't your email in your profile.

Do ya know how I knew you? Remember your old youth minister Randall? I was in college here and a youth worker when you were a kid!! I knew I knew you from somewhere and you looked familiar. FINALLY figured it out!

Anonymous said...

This happened to me and if you ever read this, it was an allergy to Latex gloves I wore at work. Even the dermatologist didn't know what it was!

Cajun Cutie said...

Well I had teh same problem and I took clear nail polish and painted all the parts that would come in direct contact with my skin. It works but you have to remember to repolish when it wears off.

Heather said...

Hi there, I found your blog while looking up wedding ring allergies.

Through my research I learned about nickel allergies, and also that a small percentage of people who are allergic to nickel are also allergic to platinum.

I get this same rash with my rings. They are my grandmother's wedding rings and they're very beautiful, I was devastated to think I might not be able to wear this family heirloom! They are a large set of rings that have cut out parts underneath rather than a smooth band, so there are lots of places for moisture and soap residue to hide out. I think my case is more of a reaction to the soaps and moisture rather than to the metal. I calmed myself down and decided that I'd only wear them for special occasions, but it still makes me very sad.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad that I found this blog.. I thought I was the only one. My engagement ring is platnium and my wedding band is white gold.
This all began after I had my baby in April. I've had the same rings for almost 9 years..
Well after having the baby my hand was so swollen that I couldn't wear my ring till about August and ever since then when I do wear it, it makes my finger dry, and it cracks and makes my finger swell.
I'm going to continue reading to see if there is any other advice.
Thank you!

Anonymous said...

I have a yellow gold ring, I'm a compulsive hand washer (I've had rashes elsewhere on my hands from certain soaps-that I avoid now), and after 9 years of marriage I have suddenly become allergic to my wedding band. I do scrub it, although it's solid. I thought it was because it was alittle tight so I had it resized. No luck, after 2 days my finger is swollen, red, itchy, blistered. I guess I'll try the nail polish.

Ma Tiny said...

Thank you to everyone for the advice!

I have an heirloom ring that I love, but after months of wearing it with no problem, my finger is suddenly red halfway up to the knuckle. I switch soaps and shampoos a lot (whatever's cheap!), so maybe that has something to do with it.

I'll try nail polish and being more careful not to let soap hang out in there until I can afford to go to a jeweler and see about filling it in or lining it with something less allergenic.

Thanks again, ladies. The Internet at its best!

Anonymous said...

I too have developed an apparent allergy to my wedding ring...I wore my engagement ring without incident but after I got married... the entire circumference of my left ring finger looks as if it's been burned and it flakes, drys and actually hurts. So I take the ring off and wait and try again...clears up and put them back on and same thing. I'm so frustrated. I tried cleaning them as they suggested...still does it. So I understand what you're going through. -Gen

Anonymous said...

This is also happening to me!! I thought that it was from washing and not drying hands thoroughly, but after months of taking off rings durign washing and intensely drying my hands after washing, the same thing is still happening. I tried to get them cleaned and this did not help. The jeweler suggested I try replating my white gold wedding and engagement rings. I am going to try this. I will post again if this helps. Thanks everyone for comments - MLS

Charity said...

Hey, just saw this post as I was looking for answers after my finger turned red and blistered. I found this other blog:

http://www.huckleberryprairie.com/ring-cleaning-avoid-the-ring-finger-rash

Apparently this simple home remedy has really helped women with allergies or issues with their rings. I am hoping mine is just a reaction because of lotion/soap up under my ring...crossing my finger. But, I think I will clean my ring like this with vinegar/peroxide and boil it to make sure it is completely cleaned! I hope this helps. Have you been able to find a solution?
~Charity

Anonymous said...

Mine happened like this when I moved office. I didn't realise there was any kind of link but wasn't untill the hand soap changed that I could wear my rings again. Carex anit-bacterail handwash soap must have been the problem coz since it finished and another soap took it's place everything has been fine.

Anonymous said...

Mine happened like this when I moved office. I didn't realise there was any kind of link but wasn't untill the hand soap changed that I could wear my rings again. Carex anit-bacterail handwash soap must have been the problem coz since it finished and another soap took it's place everything has been fine.

Lisa said...

I know this is years later, but I just came across this post and I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings for 2 weeks! Same thing. I've been married for almost 10 years...did you ever find a solution?

Unknown said...

I, too, found your blog while searching for ring allergies. Now I think I will follow along. I love your Quad stories.

Did you ever come up with a solution? I have been fighting this for about a month. I can get my finger all cleared up, clean/soak the rings, and it comes back.

What should i do?

Unknown said...

Hi there! I just found this blog post while searching for the same symptoms I am experiencing. Mine, too, corrects itself with Neosporin, but then it comes back. Did you ever decide if you do, in fact, have the nickel allergy? What did you do about it? I need more information. I have been married for 12 years and this has just started.

tintin66 said...

Same as Emily and others. Your post caught my eye because my allergy isn't under the ring but just toward the knuckle where they drag over the chubby bit of my finger...but not not on the knuckle itself. My ring is white gold and I've never had an allergy to any metal ever. I have a Dr appointment (general) on Thursday and am going to ask them to do a simple nickel allergy test. I'd rather that than the tape a nickel to my skin for 48 hours... Thanks for posting the picture.

Anonymous said...

It's currently happenin to me! Married 7 years, platinum wedding band and engagement ring. The rash only happens certain times of the year. Right now I have a fine line of painful blisters! Trying to figure out what to do!

Related Posts with Thumbnails