contact allergies

the bottom line

Researchers in Denmark recently discovered that contact allergies occur more often in smokers than in nonsmokers, but they have not figured out why this happens.

One kind of contact allergy that seems to be particularly common in smokers is contact allergy to nickel. This is a very inconvenient allergy because nickel is used in a lot of things that people wear, including earrings, other jewelry, bra hooks, zippers, and the metal buttons on blue jeans. People with a contact allergy to nickel may need to stop wearing jewelry or letting other nickel-containing objects come into contact with their skin.

definition

Allergies happen when the immune system reacts inappropriately to a foreign substance that really isn't a threat to your body. One type of allergic reaction -- called a contact allergy -- consists of a red, itchy skin rash that occurs in response to touching a particular substance.