Letter 33777

Platinum Wedding Ring now causes rash? [California]  

+++++ I had purchased a Platinum Engagement and Wedding ring set from a jeweler in the Downtown LA Jewelry Mart. My wife has had the rings since our wedding in August of 2001. Lately she gets a red rash around her ring finger and it is caused by the rings! Did she develop a sudden and consistent allergic reaction? Is my supposed platinum ring not really platinum? Is the ring merely rhodium coated? What can I do ? Thanks. Dale J [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting] home owner - LA, CA, USA First of two simultaneous responses +++++ First of all, get your wife tested by a dermatologist for metal allergies. Once you have determined what she is allergic to, then something can be done about it. Many allergies associated with jewelry are due to nickel, but it is not usual for platinum to have nickel in it, unless it is a cheap platinum alloy. There are a lot of submissions about nickel allergies and jewelry on this site and other information can be obtained from organizations such as NiDI (Nickel Development Institute). If it is a metal allergy, a good deposit of rhodium usually puts pay to its effects, although it is not a permanent coating and will have to be replaced every few years. Trevor Crichton R&D practical scientist - UK Second of two simultaneous responses +++++ Hopefully someone more knowledgeable about platinum will come by....but one thing you may want to look into is it being a possible infection (yeast) it sounds gross but it does happen quite a bit, especially if it isn't taken off during bathing. Moisture from sweat, washing hands etc will stay under the ring..and warm wet places are where fungus/yeast like to be. Jason Aube - Flint, MI, USA

I'm 7 months pregnant. About two months ago, I developed a red, itchy rash under my wedding and engagement rings. I have worn the engagement ring for 2 years and wedding ring for 7 months without a problem. Any idea what might be wrong?

Antoinette R [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- New York, NY, USA

I suggest you ask your O&G/pediatrics consultant. He/she will be in a better position to answer your problems than people on this site, as he/she will know more about you and your condition than anyone else. If he/she cannot, at least you can be pointed in the right direction.

Trevor Crichton R&D practical scientist - UK

I have also bought my ring in the jewelry mart in LA - which place did you go? And also have a rash! I tried moving it to my right hand and within 2 days got a similar rash on the right side. Was curious if this is still an issue for your wife. Alison A [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting] - San Francisco, California, USA +++++ I have been wearing my wedding ring for the past year that is made from platinum and 18 kt yellow gold. Over the past 6-8 months I have been developing a rash only on one side of my finger that I wear the ring on. Everything that I read states that platinum is the metal for skin allergies and I have no problem wearing 14 kt gold so I am wondering if I could be one of the few that could be allergic to platinum or could it be the 18 kt gold as they both come in contact with my finger. Wouldn't 18 kt gold be more pure than 14 kt gold, or do you think that it could possibly be the gold portion that I am allergic too? I am about to have my diamond reset into the original 14 kt gold Tiffany mount so that I can at least enjoy my diamond but I really hate that I cannot wear this 2 tone mount that was rather costly - any suggestions?

Nickel Test Kit

LisaJoy G [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Atlanta, GA, USA

For those of you with repeating rashes such as the rash reappearing on the other hand I would get tested for metal allergies.

For those of you who suddenly develop a rash after having worn something for a long time I would try some cortisone cream and leave the ring off for a week or two.

I had the same thing happen with a plain silver band I had been wearing for months and months. It seemed like I had gotten some moisture and perhaps some bacteria underneath the ring that irritated the skin and made it itchy and then sort of dry and scaly. It would start to clear up a bit, so I figured I could put the ring back on, but once I did it would break out again.

So I had to wait for the "rash" to clear up completely before I could wear my ring again.

Give it a try, so long as your ring doesn't cause the same reaction on your other hand.

Jucstice S [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Bonney Lake, WA

I have been suffering with a rash on my ring finger for the past 18 months. I have two children ages 5 & 2 yrs old.
Last weekend my girlfriend showed me her ring finger and she has the same rash. She has a one year old and her rash just started a couple of months ago. She spoke to her Doctor about it and was told that it is a reaction to the gold due to a hormone after having children. Hopefully now that I know what it is something can be done. If I have my ring on for one day I will suffer for two weeks with the rash.

Shawna S [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Kanata, On, Canada

I just got this ring in January for my 20th and it is more like a callus than a rash. This is a very pricey ring purchased in a store in L.A. as well. I do not want to change metal but I have had the ring on my other hand for about a week and the problem is starting on that hand. Any ideas?? I was at my doctor's for another issue and they said it looked like a contact allergy but blew me off. Now it is worse and I am going back.

Catherine J [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
consumer - San Diego, CA, USA

It is good to know that I am not alone, but the wife and I both ran into the problem years after wearing the rings. Our jeweler suggested a good cleaning as soaps get in the grooves on the bottom. That cleared up my wife's, but mine remains. Have not worn the ring in over 5 months and I still have a red mark and some dry flaky skin. The ring was also tight so am having it resized, to see if that relieves it all. Odd how something like that develops over time, I would think that an allergy to the metal would be almost immediate. That makes me think of the soaps, etc under the ring.

Ray M [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Houston, TX

After having a blood-type allergy test, I found out I was allergic to many metals. Rhodium was one of them. It is often used to coat jewelry and to make platinum harder. A few years ago I had to have a titanium plate removed from my neck because it was causing other health problems--I lost 30 lbs. Then, after telling my orthopedic surgeon that I was allergic to "metals", he still insisted on putting a stainless steel plate with many screws in my arm and leg when I broke them last year. Now I'm going to have to have another operation to take that hardware out. So I would suggest that anyone with any type of "metal" allergy, take a metal allergy test so you can really know what you can and cannot wear or have implanted in your body. It was the dentist who finally had me get the allergy test before deciding to do implants or dentures. What's wrong with the "doctors"? Why don't they order the test as a matter of procedure before doing anything involving putting any metal in the body?

April B [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- San Jose, CA, USA

I am having the same exact problem! I have two wedding rings in white gold and a sapphire ring I wear with them my husband got me after the birth of our twins which was 8 months ago. Ever since then I have this horrible red, flaky rash around my finger. I am desperate to find out what this is! Anyone to to a dermatologist and get a diagnosis? Is it in fact allergy or is it just some kind of fungus?

Christy D [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Cedar Grove, NJ

I have been wearing my 18k white gold ring with diamonds and sapphires for 5 years and I just started to have an allergic reaction to it. I apply hydrocortisone daily which clears it up but once I start wearing the ring again the rash reappears. I keep hoping it will clear itself but I am beginning to think its like a leaky faucet, so its time to see a dermatologist. I'm glad I found these postings because I thought it was just me. :)

Angela B [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- San Diego, CA

I have developed the same flaky rash after wearing my white gold wedding ring and engagement ring all the time for four years. I also have 2 friends that have the same problem. After a little research, I think I will go home and soak my ring in 2 parts vinegar and 1 part hydrogen peroxide [link is to product info at Amazon] and boil it for about fifteen minutes. This helped many people from mohea.com site. I'll let you know how it goes!

Jennifer G [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

Alright, I tried the before mentioned cure and it worked!! I am totally itchy rash free!! I think it must have been a bacteria or fungus that built up underneath my ring over the years. Or maybe because I've been cleaning a lot with harsher chemicals my skin broke down and was infected more easily. Either way, I am totally cured! I am glad I didn't waste money on getting my ring re-dipped or buying a platinum ring. Hope this helps!

Jennifer G [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

Wow, I have the same rash, who knew so many people would be posting this online...I've worn my rings for over 2 years with no problems.
Mine started to clear up after not wearing the rings for about 5 days & applying hydrocortisone & then I wore them overnight the other night & woke up w/ it itching like crazy & it is back...only this time it seems to be more in the area where my wedding band is versus my engagement ring.
I guess I'll get the rings cleaned really well, be more diligent about not wearing them til it is gone and also try some yeast creams in case that is what it is... glad to see I'm not the only one out there but I hope I don't have to have my ring dipped! :(

Lisa W [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Charlotte, NC, USA

I have recently developed a red rash around the top of my ring finger. I too have a platinum set and have worn it for a little over two years.

Has anyone had the nickel testing done? Was that the cause? How did you solve the problem with the rings/how did you fix them?

Laura L [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Tampa, FL, USA

I changed my white gold wedding rings to platinum at the end of last year due to a metal allergy and rash, and everything was fine until the summertime. Now I have a red rash with water blisters again. The strange thing is that if I take my platinum rings off at night, the rash actually gets worse. When I leave them on, the rash starts to heal under the rings. Could this be more of a fungal or bacterial infection rather than a metal allergy?

Traci S [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
Consumer - Chesapeake, VA, USA

I've had my ring resized at least 3 times thinking that my recurring rash was due to weight gain, causing fungus to grow under my ring. Yet I still continue to get them. I think I will try the vinegar and peroxide solution previously posted above. I've recently been reminded of the excellent way that both vinegar and peroxide individually have of killing bacteria and germs...they've got to be awesome when used together. If this IS the solution, then its pretty simple and cheap.

Sonya C [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Whites Creek, TN, USA

Me too, me too! I'm jumping on this bandwagon of platinum ring-wearing rash-bearers. I have the same problem. After wearing the ring for 6 years, I suddenly got this awful red, blistery rash that itches. I left the ring off for days and it went away, but returned when I put the ring back on. I tried cleansing the ring thoroughly, then I tried Cortizone cream (no use) and am now trying anti-fungal cream. I'll let you know if this latest remedy works out...

Ann Marie S [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Austin, TX, USA

I'm back with my report on the vinegar and peroxide solution. It really works! I didn't even boil it, I just soaked it in 2 parts vinegar and one part peroxide overnight. I then brushed it with a toothbrush to be sure it was thoroughly clean. I even started wearing it before my rash was completely healed and it continued to heal! It's ironic because now my husband is now complaining of the rash for the first time in 10 years...lol. I immediately gave him the solution to the problem. I had tried all the cortizone and anti-fungal creams on my rash. I even tried vinegar, peroxide, neosporin on the rash. But it always returned when I put the ring on and the ring would irritate it even further. This vinegar and peroxide really work. Thanks Jennifer for giving us this information.

Sonya C [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Whites Creek, TN

WOW! I am having the exact same problem. After camping in July I too developed a rash under my platinum wedding set that I have been wearing for over two years without a problem. (I previously had an all gold set that I never had a problem with.) I have also used, with success, cortisone cream only to have the rash reappear overnight once I start wearing my rings again. A doctor friend suggested that it is a bacteria/fungus or maybe an oil from vegetation from our camping trip. I am also going to try the peroxide/vinegar cleaning solution and will post if it works for me too! Thanks for all the postings...I thought I was the only one!

Susan V [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Highlands Ranch, CO, USA

Hey Sonya, is your ring platinum? I want to try the vinegar/peroxide thing but I don't want to hurt the platinum. Stupid rash. I've been having a constant rash ever since I got my platinum engagement ring over a year ago. I thought it was just soap getting under it so I left the ring off a few days and the rash healed. But then when I got the platinum wedding band a month ago, I started having a MAJOR rash. I've had the rings off for about a week and the rash is still trying to heal. It could be because the rings are really thick too. Who knows. I'm sorry to everyone that shares this same problem!! At least we are all in the same boat together.

Rachael S [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- San Jose, CA

To answer the previous question, my ring is gold. If you're afraid of soaking in the suggested solution, try just using a toothbrush to clean the underside of your ring thoroughly with the same solution and rinse.

Sonya C [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Whites Creek, TN, US

I have a new platinum ring but I have a bit of a different reaction, my finger turns a grey colour, I've been to the local jewelers and they said it is platinum but there not sure what is causing these marks, I'm desperate for an answer...please could someone help me??

Rachel L [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
waitress - Sheffield, England

I am so relieved to find these posts about platinum allergies! I have been wearing my platinum wedding set for almost 6 years now, and starting about 4 years ago I began developing a burning red ring around my finger. Having the rings re-rhodiumed every year helps but is expensive. It's been the only cure I could find other than not wearing my rings! I haven't been tested for metal allergy but that will be my next step. Although I don't know how that will help with my rings as I don't want to give up my platinum. So I guess I'll be visiting the jeweler every year for the rhodium!

Debra K [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting]
- Carrollton, TX, USA

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