Can’t wear earrings any more?

[Coffeepot72]

My ears were pierced as a teenager, ie decades ago. No problems until recently, but in recent months earrings (even the more expensive ones) make my ear lobes sore, I can get them in ok, but pulling them out is really sore, then sometimes the holes blister. This takes a few days to settle each time, then I try again and the whole cycle starts again. Any ideas?

Are you wearing solid gold earrings ?

Same happened to me. I can't wear earrings anymore at all, even if the supposedly hypoallergenic ones. I haven't worn them for years. I tried those plastic sleeves over the bars but they still got sore.

Same thing happened to me. I discovered I can’t tolerate silver earrings or nose studs anymore - think it’s possibly the nickel in them or something? I’m fine with titanium however. It’s extremely vexing as I have a load of beautiful earrings I can’t wear anymore and have to be really careful buying new ones - I’ve had a couple of Amazon purchases that clearly weren’t as advertised. Might be worth trying different materials?

Sounds like a nickel allergy. Try stainless steel, titanium or platinum and if it doesn’t happen with those, that’s your answer.

(I have a nickel allergy - caused by gun piercing as a teen with 9ct gold studs. Had to have my white gold wedding ring cut off me because the plating contains nickel. Can only wear the above metals now. It’s pretty common.)

24ct gold would be far too soft to make earrings.

Go to a piercer and get them to insert flat back titanium labrets with a simple end (eh. a ball stud). Then leave them in for a few weeks and clean with saline solution like you would a new piercing until the irritation clears up.

Exactly the same has happened to me!
However, I've put in a small, thin pair of gold hoops which were my nans and these are fine. I just can't seem to wear all my lovely silver Pandora/Swarovski for anymore than a couple of hours now

Thanks for the replies, I have a whole collection that I have built up over the years, none were particularly cheap but I don’t know what they are made of. A friend suggested coating the posts with clear nail varnish?

I think you'd have to coat more than the posts, going by my own experience. I put thick plastic sleeves on mine (hurt to insert) and it didn't help at all.

Are you okay with other jewellery? Necklaces started giving me a rash on the chest about the same time.

Sounds like a nickel allergy! 925 silver is ok for me and otherwise I try to buy surgical steel earrings which helped

This happened to me last Christmas, had ears pierced since I was 6, always gone months between wearing earrings with no issues and never had a problem with cheap/dress jewellery then tried to wear some for a Christmas party and could barely get them through the hole, they were red and sore and bled slightly.

I bought some solid gold studs, spent a week cleaning and twiddling them like when you first get them done and they’ve been fine since. I do wear the studs all the time now though.

The same thing has started happening to me in recent years. I read a post on MN a while back where someone suggested rubbing antihistamine cream into your holes, and in the earrings before you put them in. It seems to work for me some of the time, but not every time. Although I could only find cream for bites and stings, so might not be the right thing. Might be worth a go though?

i too was going to suggest antihistamine cream. It doesnt solve it entirely but does improve situation. there is also an earrings place online that sells cheapish earrings that are supposedly ok - sorry cant remember the name but if you google or search on this site for previous thread you might find them

found them. sollace jewellery claim to have earrings that are anti ears going bad. interested to c if they do work.

I have a similar problem. I could never wear cheap, fashion earrings but these days even sterling silver irritates my ears. I can wear titanium just fine so I have some basic studs which I'm wearing all the time. I was hoping that my piercings would "heal" but last time I wore silver earrings they irritated again, although it probably took longer to set in.

I've no idea what to do with my lovely collection of silver earrings that I can't wear for more than a couple of hours at a time though.

Don't do the nail varnish thing. I'm allergic to whatever the strap on my smart watch is made from and tried, it made it worse

I had this used plastic for a few years, then started with non nickel metals, which I can now wear for extended periods.

I got my plastic studs from Blomdahl

blomdahluk.com/collections/earrings

When I was young I would buy cheap earrings and I had a special varnish-y stuff that made them okay for sensitive ears.

Something like this maybe: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253045094222?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=rryqaQiQbO&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=ZZEuuy1cRT6&var=&widgetver=artemis&media=COPY

herbygarden - how easy is that to use? Has anyone else used this successfully? I've got several pairs i would love to be able to wear

I've started having this too, mostly with white gold but also silver if I leave them in too long.
I wouldn't try nail varnish, that in itself could be an irritant and could come off inside the hole. I've seen some hypoallergenic earrings advertised, stainless steel I think, that I'm going to look at. Titanium is hypoallergenic too so worth a look.

I don’t wear earrings at the moment but I used to have the same issue and found M&S did a range that I could wear (Skin kind or something).

I had the same issue (combination of nickel allergy and not wearing earrings much during lockdown). Even silver didn't do it. I tried some earrings from Solace and I have to say I can wear them all the time with no issues whatsoever, no soreness or "lumpiness". They are stainless steel and very pretty.

I don't know if they would wok for everyone but they certainly have for me.

I've only used 18k gold earrings in my life and developed the same problem as you. I stopped using earrings daily and only do so on special occasions.

Sometimes our bodies develop intolerance to foreign objects without much sense why it happens.

Clip ons are something to explore. I have a few pairs of Swarovski earrings that never given me any problems.

I gave up wearing earrings for this reason. Then someone on the S&B board recommended Solace earrings. After a few months using these, I found I could wear my other earrings again. No idea how that works but many thanks to the poster who suggested this as I hadn't worn earrings for years.