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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffYou may use some of the following treatments at home to treat contact dermatitis due to nickel allergy. If these treatments don't help or the rash worsens, contact your doctor. Home remedies include the following:
- Soothing lotions, such as calamine lotion, may ease itching.
- Wet compresses can be placed over the rash to help dry blisters and relieve itching. A wet compress can be made by soaking a clean cloth in Burow's solution, an over-the-counter medication containing aluminum acetate.
- Over-the-counter corticosteroids may lesson itching and improve the condition of the rash. Talk to your doctor about how long you can safely use the product.
- Over-the-counter oral antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), may help relieve itching.
You should avoid certain over-the-counter ointments, such as antibiotic creams, which may contain ingredients that can worsen an allergic reaction.
- Schram SE, et al. Nickel hypersensitivity: A clinical review and call to action. International Journal of Dermatology. 2010;49:115.
- Beltrani VS. Contact dermatitis: A practice parameter. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. 2006;97:s1.
- Douglas JD. Allergic contact dermatitis: A focus on nickel. Dermatology Nursing. 2009;21:354.
- Tips to remember: Allergic skin conditions. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/allergicskinconditions.stm. Accessed June 13, 2010.
- Lu LK, et al. Prevention of nickel allergy: The case for regulation? Dermatology Clinic. 2009;27:155.
- Body art. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bbp/bodyart/stateRegs.html. Accessed June 13, 2010.
- Tattoos and body piercings. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/media/background/factsheets/fact_tattoos.html. Accessed June 13, 2010.
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