Nickel Allergy News / nickel barrier

My battles with nickel allergy rashes started in my early teens, with my first ear piercing. Almost immediately, I noticed itching and burning, but I discounted those symptoms until small blisters formed.  After removing the earrings and allowing my ears to heal, I avoided piercing again for quite a few years. However, in the interim I became sensitive to the metal in my watch and sunglasses. Once again, intense itching and a red rash were the symptoms. Nickel allergy was becoming a little better understood at this point in time, so I educated myself and tried to avoid any jewelry with nickel, opting for leather watch bands with 14K gold cases and clasps (not easy on a young professionals budget!) and plastic sunglasses. It was much later than I discovered a much simpler solution – Nickel Solution!

Nickel Solution is a two-part kit that allows the user to first test metals to see if there is nickel in the metal and then to brush on a protective barrier to protect the skin from that nickel. Nickel Alert is the testing part; it is a dmg spot test for nickel. It is formulated by Athena Allergy, Inc. to be a highly accurate and uncomplicated at-home test.

While it is so helpful to be able to determine if an item has nickel before I wear it, my favorite of the two-part kit is probably Nickel Guard! I use this lacquer a lot! I love fun costume jewelry and oftentimes it does contain nickel. Brushing Nickel Guard on the wires, posts, or backs of earrings solves that problem easily!  I use a bit of wax paper underneath the jewelry as it dries, just in case I get a little overzealous in my application. For me, Nickel Guard provides a lengthy protection period. It likely depends on the use of the jewelry item and possibly on the severity of the nickel allergy.

Luckily, Athena Allergy is also making my love for bright and fun jewelry a no-brainer. They are now offering gorgeous dichroic glass nickel free earrings that are amazing to wear. The sparkle and glitter of this jewelry is astounding! Even better, I don’t have to test this jewelry because Athena Allergy has already done it for me! No more painting lacquer either, these pieces are guaranteed for life to never test positive for nickel, so no more worries and definitely no more rash!

Trust me, you are going to be so glad you heeded this advice! Buy Nickel Solution (and maybe a great new pair of earrings) today!

During the month of February, most people are thinking of love and friendship. We think this might be a good time to tell you why we do what we do! Hint: it has to do with the fact that we truly care about our customers!

When we started this business over a decade ago, we did so based on knowledge we had gained in the dermatology and allergy fields. It had become apparent to us that nickel allergy was a significant and ever-growing affliction that wasn’t being addressed by manufacturers.

Step one of our journey in educating the public about nickel allergy was to develop Nickel Alert™, a test for nickel that can be used on any metallic item. The first of its kind, this dmg spot test was formulated for at-home use, and was pre-mixed and pre-measured to ensure accuracy and ease of use. So sensitive that it will detect minute amounts of nickel, Nickel Alert has become the cornerstone of our business. We tout this product as the way to detect nickel in metal, so that your skin doesn’t have to!

Its companion product, Nickel Guard™ is a clinically proven clear coating that forms an invisible micro-bond with metals to prevent exposure to nickel, thus prohibiting any nickel allergy symptoms.

Once we had these building blocks established, allowing those with nickel allergy to detect nickel in any metal and then to protect their skin from that nickel, we wanted to pursue other ways to help our customers assure a nickel free life.

Adding nickel free belts, nickel free belt buckles, and hypoallergenic jewelry was an obvious step as these items are among those most often targeted as the cause of nickel allergy rash.  Unfortunately in the United States there are no FDA regulations on labeling products as “nickel free” or “hypoallergenic” and there are those who would take advantage. We decided early on that our products would be carefully sourced, designed, and manufactured so they would contain no nickel. Furthermore, we test for nickel both pre- and post-production – all steps that are necessary before a product earns the designation and guarantee of being Certified Nickel Free™. This guarantee means that our products come with the lifetime guarantee to never test positive for nickel, so these products can be trusted.

As our company has grown, we have been rewarded by hearing from many of you who have gained information from our website about your nickel allergy and have learned that the use of our products will lead to a comfortable life, free of nickel allergy symptoms. Our promise to you is that we will continue to source top quality nickel free products for you, because we truly do care about our customers.

Ready to do a little holiday indulging? Concerned that it may affect more than your waistline? Here's a bit of good news for nickel allergy sufferers!

But first things first: While it may not fit into your schedule to visit your dermatologist or allergist before the holiday meal this year, be sure to make it your number one New Year's Resolution. Only these professionals can provide an accurate diagnosis and medical advice regarding your nickel allergy and whether a low nickel diet will be a benefit.

Our bit of good news is that one day of holiday feasting should not create a problem for most people with nickel allergy! Continued consumption of high nickel foods does seem to have an affect on a minority of the nickel allergic population. Studies are indicating a relationship between the ingestion of foods high in nickel and conditions such as hives and eczema in a small number of people tested.

If your allergist has recommended a Low Nickel Diet, you probably already know that many foods have the green light.  Holiday staples such as turkey and cranberries are not considered problematic sources of nickel in the diet - so load up your plate!

There may be items on that holiday table that you should avoid if a strict diet has been recommended. Cocoa, chocolate, shellfish, fruits, whole grains, beer, red wine, onions, raw carrots, and most canned foods may contain significant amounts of nickel. However, nickel content often depends upon factors such as the soil where the crop was grown as well as how it was processed and then stored. High nickel in the soil, along with nickel-laden processing equipment and storage containers will lead to higher nickel in the product, making it difficult to accurately identify high nickel foods.

A bit more good news: While the avoidance of tea and coffee on a low nickel diet is suggested, other studies have shown that one or two cups of these beverages on a daily basis should pose little concern. In addition, some studies indicate a diet high in vitamin C and iron can counteract the absorption of ingested nickel.

Individuals who react to nickel ingested through diet have a systemic nickel allergic reaction; those who react only at the point of contact on the skin have allergic contact dermatitis to nickel. The Nickel Allergy Experts at Athena Allergy are ready to help those ACD patients avoid nickel to ward off worsening symptoms.

If your symptoms are found only at the site of the skin's contact with nickel, you should focus on ways to prevent that contact and the resulting rash. Over twelve years ago, Athena Allergy introduced the first pre-mixed and pre-measured dmg spot test for nickel, making it consumer-friendly and easy to use.  Nickel Alert™ has since been used extensively for rapid and accurate testing for nickel in metals. Nickel Alert is so extremely sensitive it will detect nickel in minute amounts of one part per ten thousand. Once nickel is detected, the skin must avoid that nickel in order to evade nickel allergy symptoms.  Nickel Guard™ is clinically proven to provide a micro-bond with metal to assure that nickel cannot contact the skin.  

Another avenue for avoiding nickel is to replace products that contain nickel with those that are guaranteed nickel free.  Athena Allergy offers an wide array of handcrafted in the USA nickel free belts for men, women, and children. We also are proud to provide Made in the USA Nickel Free Earrings in beautiful designs and a variety of color options. We take our customer's nickel allergy concerns to heart and strive to offer the best products, top-notch customer service, informative articles, and  guarantees so that visitors to our site find the answers they need to live a nickel free life!

 

 

As our team prepared to launch this new site, our focus was to provide information to empower our customers to achieve a nickel free life, liberated from the uncomfortable symptoms of nickel allergy!

It's really quite simple, too.  For those who have been diagnosed with nickel allergy, simply eliminate the nickel and the nickel allergy symptoms will disappear!  The first step is always to find the source of nickel in daily living.  Nickel Alert™ allows for easy, at-home testing of metal items to determine if there is nickel content.  Nickel Alert is so sensitive, it will detect minute traces of nickel in metal in seconds. We find that these commonly used items are those that are tops on the nickel allergy sufferers list:  belt buckles, metal buttons and jean studs, earrings, and wristwatches.  If nickel is found in these items, the choices are either to protect the skin from that metal or, if at all possible, replace that item with one that is guaranteed to be nickel free.

Athena Allergy is proud to offer regionally crafted nickel free belts and jewelry that come with a lifetime guarantee to never test positive for nickel! Our handcrafted belts are made with genuine leather and paired with nickel free buckles; many of these belts are matched with titanium buckles which are recommended by dermatologists for metal allergies. Our jewelry line is comprised of handcrafted earrings, bracelets, and necklaces along with nickel free sterling silver post earrings. We also offer Certified Nickel Free™ Buttons and Rivets to replace any of those that failed the nickel test!  

Perhaps after a season of shopping for others, replacing all the nickel-laden products isn't an option right now.  Nickel Guard™ is a protective barrier that can be used on many metal products to protect your skin from nickel.  Clinically proven, this lacquer has been formulated without formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, or toluene - chemicals known to cause skin irritation.  Nickel Guard can be brushed onto metal items (without movable parts) to protect the skin from nickel contact.   A great gift for yourself should be Nickel Solution which contains one bottle of Nickel Alert and one bottle of Nickel Guard - test for nickel, then protect your skin!

Welcome to the new Athena Allergy, Inc. site and to your nickel free new year!