NTTGP- Rash caused by wedding rings?

cburitz · September 2010

I have sensitive skin... I have to wear gloves while doing dishes, cleaning, etc and I have to be very careful about what soap/lotion I use.

Anyway, the past 2 weeks or so, I've gotten an itchy/red rash (sorry TMI) on my ring finger. It has not spread anywhere else, so I know its my wedding/engagement rings causing it. I've never had this problem before!

Ideas, thoughts, suggestions? They are white gold so I wonder if I am allergic to yellow gold and they need to be redipped?

I took off my rings and I feel naked now. Sad

alison2379 · September 2010

Do you take your rings off at night when you go to sleep? I was getting a rash from mine for a while, and giving myself a 10-12 hour break from them daily stopped it altogether.

I did notice rashes more frequently when I got water trapped in there - a mild smell of mildew, and I think that can be an irritant. Now I just dry my hands more thoroughly and clean my rings more often, not for sparkle but for rash avoidance.

mavgirl_73 · September 2010

I have same thing, happens every 6 months or so. Get them re-dipped....the natural oils on hands, soap from washing hands, lotion (even the most hypoallergenic ones!) cause the Rhodium plate to wear off. Sorry about your itchy fingers

cburitz · September 2010

mavgirl_73:
I have same thing, happens every 6 months or so. Get them re-dipped....the natural oils on hands, soap from washing hands, lotion (even the most hypoallergenic ones!) cause the Rhodium plate to wear off. Sorry about your itchy fingers

Hmmm... thanks for the info! I will take them in next week! I used to take them off when I showered, washed my hands, etc... but I've gotten lazy and I don't anymore. I think I will have to start being more careful now

cburitz · September 2010

alison2379:

Do you take your rings off at night when you go to sleep? I was getting a rash from mine for a while, and giving myself a 10-12 hour break from them daily stopped it altogether.

I did notice rashes more frequently when I got water trapped in there - a mild smell of mildew, and I think that can be an irritant. Now I just dry my hands more thoroughly and clean my rings more often, not for sparkle but for rash avoidance.

Good idea about taking them off at night.. I will start doing that. I hate going w/out them during the day!

CamJack mom · September 2010

Are they white gold? If so, take them to the jeweler and have them dipped. This happens to me every 8 months or so. I get a rash because my white gold rings need to be rhodium dipped again.

luckygal3 · September 2010

I had something similar this spring. I had them cleaned and re-dipped. Now I am careful to take my rings off when I wash my hands or at least make sure there is no moisture caught between my rings and my finger. It's been better. Knock on wood.

MrsSM · September 2010

I'm allergic to anything under 14 karat. So is DH. Mine are 14 so I'm ok, but his was 10 and so we got it lined inside with silver, worked like a charm, still great 4 years later

funny bunny · September 2010

I have a metal allergy, and can't wear earrings that are anything less then 18K gold (No silver, etc...).

When DH got me my rings, he got 18K white gold.

But there's really no such thing as white gold, it's yellow and dipped (usually in rhodium).

If you have a similar sensitivity, my first question is how many K are your rings?

The lower the Karat, the more other metals are mixed in - and the higher the likelihood of allergic reactions (like mine).

HTH...

Gregermis · September 2010

my parents thought they were allergic to their wedding bands... they found out that they were having a problem with a build up of soap scum from washing their hands. I would recommend taking your ring off for a few days... clean the inside with warm water and let it dry out. When your rash goes away.. try again.

My thoughts anyway

bmcapra · September 2010

I don't know the if this is the actual name, but I have always heard it called ring rot. Like pp said it is caused by water getting under your rings. I have had this happen a few times. It is usually red and then starts to peel, almost like a burn or blister. I don't take my rings off when I am using water but I always make sure to dry under them now.

btaylor19 · September 2010

I had to get my wedding ring re-dipped right after I got it because it wasn't a high enough Karat gold. It did the trick! My jeweler told me that anytime it starts looking irritated again, just get it re-dipped. They told me probably every to 6-8 months.

MrsTran021310 · September 2010

funny bunny:

I have a metal allergy, and can't wear earrings that are anything less then 18K gold (No silver, etc...).

When DH got me my rings, he got 18K white gold.

But there's really no such thing as white gold, it's yellow and dipped (usually in rhodium).

If you have a similar sensitivity, my first question is how many K are your rings?

The lower the Karat, the more other metals are mixed in - and the higher the likelihood of allergic reactions (like mine).

HTH...

Hahaha! I like how you added Eric back in with fall leaves around him. That's very nice. We should have all done that. LOL

brookelynpaisley · September 2010

My skin gets red under my rings, too. It's from moisture (water, sweat, etc.) getting trapped under the bands. I'd take your rings off at night and apply lotion liberally to remoisturize.

lacey0482 · September 2010

This was happening to me also so I asked my dermatologist about it at my last semi-annual visit. He said it usually is due to soaps or lotions getting underneath your ring, and just to clean the ring and to use hydrocortisone on the rash and you should be fine. I'd save the re-dipping as a last resort!

picklesx · September 2010

When you wash your hands do you take your rings off or leave them on? If they are on maybe there's still some soap residue stuck on them. I've noticed this happens from time to time with my rings when I don't get the chance to take them off when washing my hands. I've never had any skin irritation because of it, it just starts to feel sticky and gross until I rinse them off. Perhaps they just need to be cleaned?

cburitz · September 2010

lacey0482:
This was happening to me also so I asked my dermatologist about it at my last semi-annual visit. He said it usually is due to soaps or lotions getting underneath your ring, and just to clean the ring and to use hydrocortisone on the rash and you should be fine. I'd save the re-dipping as a last resort!

I clean my rings weekly... (I like the sparkle!) Believe it or not, the hydrocortisone makes it worse! I found the only thing that works is plain old Vaseline.

We got a warranty on both rings so I get free resizing/redipping for life... so it won't cost us anything to have it done. DH thinks we should upgrade them to Platinum but I am too cheap!

txhillcountrybaby · September 2010

I have had the same thing happen last christmas after I had it for a year. I had it redipped (We got all the warranties too) and the rash and swelling went away. Around the edges of my engagement ring I could telling it was getting a reddish-yellowish look to it.

tlalli7106 · September 2010

It's funny you mentioned this!!! I got this rash a couple years ago and it would stay for awhile, disappear and come right back. (Not to mention it itches like crazy! I have itched my finger raw and one point made it bleed, yuck.) The rash just came back this morning when I woke up. My set is also white gold and I have taken them to the jewelry store to get dipped and it didn't go away. I've cleaned the heck out of them, taken them off at night when I go to sleep, do the dishes, use any type of cleaning product, etc. Basically I can't pinpoint any one thing that triggers why it happens and why it goes away for weeks, even months sometimes. The only thing I can think of is mine might be stress related. It seems to pop up when there are stressful events going on in my life. So for now I just wear them to work, out in public and take them off when I get home to let my finger "breathe".

Mrs. Potter · September 2010

I was so amazed after reading all these posts. This had just happened to me for the first time after 4 years of wearing my rings pretty much nonstop. Thanks for all the great info!

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