Body Piercing Allergies

Allergic Reaction to Cleaning Agents

An itching, a rash, or a discharge of clear fluid, usually suggests an allergic reaction to the cleaning agent or to the body jewelry metal.

If the body piercing is having an allergic reaction, it will show signs of redness directly around the opening, an enlarged opening, itching or burning feeling and will ooze a clear, milky fluid.

Most allergic reactions are reactions to the cleanser used to clean the body piercing or from too frequently, (more than twice a day) cleaning of the body piercing.

If the body piercing is being cleaned more than twice daily, switch to a morning/night only routine. If the frequency is not a problem, switch to a less irritating cleanser.

The cleansers in the order of MOST chance of irritation to the LEAST chance of irritation are:

Hibiclens

Hibiclens is a surgical scrub with many great properties. It offers residual protection in that it will continue to kill germs and bacteria in your body piercing for up to 6 hours after use.

It is also has anti-fungal properties. However, it irritates many people's skin and should not be used straight. A dilution of 4 to 1 or even 6 to 1 is needed to avoid problems.

Dial Surgical Scrub

Dial Surgical Scrub contains the exact same active ingredients as Hibiclens and has all the same great benefits. Dial Surgical Scrub however has a less irritating base and has not shown the irritation problems of Hibiclens. For this reason Dial surgical scrub is our cleanser of choice for a body piercing.

Antibiotic Cleanser

There are many good antibiotic cleansers on the market. Names like Softsoap, Dial Antibiotic Soap (not the same as Dial Surgical Scrub), etc. They provide antibacterial protection with germs and bacteria they contact with and are available at local grocery stores.

The draw back is that they do not have residual benefit after use and they are not anti-fungal. Almost all however have non-irritating bases.

Allergic Reaction To Jewelry Metal

The next possibility is that the reaction is from the metal in the body jewelry. While it is possible to have an allergic reaction to any metal including niobium and titanium, which are usually very hypo-allergic, stainless steel is usually the source of most metal allergies.

Stainless steel body jewelry contains carbon and nickel, both can cause reactions. Recent studies seem to suggest that nickel is the bigger problem.

Denmark, Germany, and Sweden have laws regarding the nickel content of jewelry. Denmark prohibits any body jewelry containing nickel, including stainless steel, to be placed in a body piercing during the six week healing time after a piercing.

In the October issue of Accent Magazine, an article on metal allergies stated that studies here and abroad suggest that 10% - 20% of women develop a reaction to stainless steel body jewelry known as "Nickel Dermatitis".

This condition, prompted by nickel's direct and prolonged contact with the skin, can be characterized by redness, itchiness, flaking, burning, swelling, and the hole becoming enlarged. Passivation or gold plating lessens the chance of reaction to stainless steel.

Products like Ring-Gel, applied several times daily, provide a natural buffer between the ring and body during healing. If Ring-Gel does not help, change your body jewelry to Niobium or 14K Gold. Our experience is that the relief is immediate for your body piercing.