Nickel Allergies and Cell Phones Are An Itchy Mix

Could you be allergic to your cell phone? If you suffer from nickel allergies, the answer may be yes.

Allergists are seeing an increasing number of patients with dry, itchy patches on their cheeks, jaw lines, and ears who have no idea it's their cell phones causing it.

"Increased use of cell phones with unlimited usage plans has led to more prolonged exposure to the nickel in phones," said allergist Luz Fonacier, MD, ACAAI Fellow.

Nickel is one of the most common contact allergens, and affects up to 17 percent of women and 3 percent of men.

Contact with objects containing nickel, such as keys, coins and paper clips are generally brief, so the nickel allergy may not occur on the area of contact. However, even in these brief encounters, nickel can be transferred from fingers to the face and cause eyelid irritation.

The  risk is increased by frequent, prolonged exposure to nickel-containing objects, such as jewelry, watches, eyeglass frames and yes, even cell phones.

Symptoms include redness, swelling, itching, eczema, blistering, skin lesions and sometimes oozing and scarring.

Avoidance of direct skin contact is the best solution. For cell phones, try using a plastic film cover, a wireless ear piece, or switching to a phone that does not contain metal on surfaces that contact the skin, said Fonacier.

However, identifying the allergen and avoiding it is the only long term solution.

Nickel allergies can also flare up when someone adorns their body with piercings or tattoos.

"Allergic reactions from tattoos come mainly from the pigments used to color the dye," said Fonacier. "The issue with body piercing goes back to the increasing prevalence of nickel allergies."

Because of this, researchers suggest waiting until a child is at least ten years old before piercing her ears, in case she has a nickel allergy.

Nickel can even be found in beauty products.

"It's well known that our everyday cosmetic products contain many substances that cause allergies," said Fonacier.

"Although the cosmetic industry is one of the largest in the world, it is not highly regulated in the U.S. The average person uses 12 personal products a day. Those 12 products may contain up to 168 chemicals, many of which can be an irritant or a substance that causes an allergic reaction."

According to Fonacier, nearly 22 percent of everyone patch tested for allergies react to chemicals in cosmetics.

Fragrance and preservatives contained in cosmetics cause the most allergic reactions. Common allergy symptoms from cosmetics include: redness, itching, crusting, swelling, blistering, dryness, scaliness and thickening of the skin.

Those who suspect they have allergies to cosmetics, tattoos or nickel should be tested by an allergist -- a doctor who is an expert in diagnosing and treating allergies and asthma.