Women love their jewellery more than anything. It has become a trend to always wear jewellery, however, this may pose certain health risks. If you fall into the category of people, who never remove jewellery, you need to know that your love for your jewellery can make you ill.
According to a recent study from the American Academy of Dermatology, excessive use of jewellery can cause a skin condition called contact dermatitis, which is caused by immune reaction to skin's contact with certain substances. Metal nickel, which is often used in costume jewellery, is one of the most common causes of contact dermatitis.
Allergy to nickel is so common that as many as one in five people is allergic to nickel. Those who don't have allergy to nickel may develop it over time after excessive use of jewellery containing the metal. Nickel is seen by the body as an antigen or foreign body. If the skin comes in frequent contact with an antigen like nickel, the immune system is likely to eventually react against it.
Common side-effects of wearing excessive jewellery or prolonged use of jewellery for weeks include redness, swelling and blistering or scaling of the skin. Over time, the skin may turn darker and cracked. The symptoms may start appearing within weeks of prolonged use of jewellery. Moreover, jewellery can also cause rashes by friction and cuts if there are sharp edges on the jewellery.
It is thus wise to wear jewellery for only as long as you really need to. Remove jewellery when at home to avoid any harm to your skin.
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