The metals that are friends for the skin

Guide to Choosing the right metal for earrings and piercings ♦

Navel, the nasal septum, and, of course, the ears: earrings and piercings can be the kind of jewelry that you prefer, but have contraindications. Your skin, in fact, sometime could not tolerate the contact with some types of metal. How to know? For starters, if your skin turns black when you wear jewelry in silver or other metals, it is likely that you are allergic to nickel, element used very often alloyed with other. This problem can become more serious if the metal comes into contact with parts of the body irritated, or worse, not be fully healed. Here are some tips to prevent an earring or a piercing become an annoying problem.

The first rule is: choose safe metals.

To a piercing the better surgical steel (that is, Surgical Stainless Steel, with the initials SSS). This metal has several advantages: lasts a long time, it does not react with bodily fluids. It is distinguished by the initials 316L or 316LVM. Caution, however: this steel contains a small percentage of nickel. Those who are allergic can choose a more expensive product, but safer: titanium. It is a super-resistant metal and, usually, contains only small amounts of nickel. Among other things, you can also find in different colors. Another preferred metal is niobium. It is little known, but it is recommended for those suffering from allergies and is also less expensive than titanium. If you own a skin sensitive to contact with any metal, you can fall back on the Tygon, a surgical plastic that can be used for the piercing.

Attention to these metals.
Silver: never wear silver jewelry, earrings or piercings if the skin is not completely healed. Sterling is composed for 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent for by another metal, usually copper. This metal is added because it makes the most durable silver, but copper can cause allergic reactions. In addition, the Sterling silver oxidizes when in contact with body tissues and fluids.
Bijoux: not worn inexpensive jewelry, with metals that use amounts of nickel, if the hole in the on ear lobes in other parts of the body is not perfectly healed.

Gold plated jewelry: usually plating is very, very thin. The sweat or friction with the skin can eliminate the plating in a short time, and the skin is in contact with the underlying metal.
Gold: a piercing better to choose what to 14 and 18K. The reason is simple: pure gold, that is 24 carat, is very soft and could allow the microbes to more easily lurk. Beware, though: gold in 18 or 14 karat is an alloy with other metals, often nickel, palladium and copper. Then it can cause allergies. Remember: the 24 carat gold is pure, what 18 carat consists of 18 parts pure gold and 6 parts of other metals, the 14-carat from 14 parts pure gold and 10 parts other metals, and so on.

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