Discover If Nickel Causes Hair Loss

By Alta Alexander


If you find that wearing jewelry more often than not results in a rash, itching, or other allergic reaction signs, chances are that you may have an allergy to the metal out of which that jewelry is constructed. In most cases, that translates into an allergy to nickel, which is a common component in the crafting of jewelry and other items. If you also suffer from some form of baldness, it may have occurred to you to ask if nickel causes hair loss.

To begin, it should be understood that this metal is the source of many common skin allergies. That should come as no surprise, given that it is a commonly used element in a variety of manufacturing processes. In fact it is so common that it can be found in everything from zippers to jewelry, certain coins, eyeglasses, and even cell phones.

Where such allergies exist, they are frequently identified by symptoms such as dry or itchy skin, blisters, and rashes. The skin can also become scaly in the regions affected by the metal. When such symptoms are seen, it is wise to eliminate contact with the metal. Alternatively, you can simply consult a doctor and have yourself tested to see whether or not you actually have an allergy.

In most instances, physicians identify this condition on sight, and simply ask a few questions about your contact with various metals to confirm their diagnosis. To be even more certain, however, tests can be conducted. These tests are seldom necessary, however. In fact, almost any diagnosis can be confirmed simply by separating the metal from the patient and then waiting to see whether symptoms vanish over time.

It is demonstrably evident that this metal can cause various dermatological reactions for those who have allergies to it. That still leaves unanswered, however the question of whether or not it can cause baldness. In an attempt to answer that question, a number of scientific studies have been conducted.

In study after study, only one fact seems clear: researchers are unable to discover any link between this metal and any form of baldness. This is true even in cases where the patient has strong allergies to nickel. This would seem to indicate that what looks like a connection between the metal and baldness is really nothing more than an unhappy coincidence. The baldness is most likely genetic.

Of course, science has long know that heredity plays the primary role in the balding process. And while the research has not proved beyond doubt that there is no link between this element and the loss of hair, the evidence does strongly indicate that the chances of such a link are almost zero.

That may be small consolation for those who suffer from this allergic condition, however, since it an allergy that has no cure once it develops. Still, with all of the dermatological irritation that a reaction to this common metal can cause, it is still somewhat comforting to know that it does not appear to play a role in baldness.




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