Easy Shopping Guide » Allergies http://blackmaleappreciation.com Find Your The Best Things Mon, 21 May 2012 13:08:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 A Spence Diamonds Guide to Jewelry and Allergies http://blackmaleappreciation.com/a-spence-diamonds-guide-to-jewelry-and-allergies/ http://blackmaleappreciation.com/a-spence-diamonds-guide-to-jewelry-and-allergies/#comments Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:13:44 +0000 admin http://blackmaleappreciation.com/?p=157 Choosing just the right jewelry for you goes beyond how good it looks on you, or how good it makes you feel. Some people have allergies to certain metals, so it helps to understand what to look out for if your skin is extra-sensitive, or you are prone to allergies. In our Spence Diamonds showrooms, we’re always ready to answer your questions about how metal allergies can affect you, but in the meantime here’s a bit of Metal Allergy 101:
Most often, rashes and infections on your skin caused by jewelry are a result of nickel allergy. Ever had an itchy red spot under a jean stud or watch buckle? Maybe when you had your ears pierced you developed an unusually uncomfortable reaction?
Nickel is the metal that causes the most rashes. And it is also quite commonly used in almost anything metal, for e.g.: jewelry, kitchen utensils, scissors, paper clips, keys and of course the coin by the same name. Nickel has a more whitish appearance, so such metals as white gold, silver and all kinds of silver-coloured metals (other than sterling silver) can and likely do contain some amount of nickel. 18 or 24 carat yellow gold do not contain nickel, but 10-carat yellow gold may have traces of nickel, too.
How Do You Know if You Have an Allergy to Nickel?
The first sign of nickel allergy is red and itchy skin, in the areas that have come in contact with metal, such as under a ring or necklace. Later on, tiny water blisters appear, making the skin moist and even oozy, and can even cause it to peel off. At this point, you probably want to be searching for jewelry that cooperates with your skin a little better. If the condition carries on for a long time, your skin may become red, scaly and cracked, and the rash can spread to other areas of your skin that have never even been in contact with nickel! So it’s worth doing your homework on how to avoid such a reaction.
Some Good News, Some Bad News
The bad news first: Once you’ve become sensitive to nickel, you’re likely to stay that way for the rest of your life. The good news is that over time, you may become less sensitive to nickel allergy. But there is hope as there are still plenty of metals that you can safely wear, including 18 and 14 carat gold, sterling silver, and a number of other hypo-allergenic metals. In addition, if you discover an allergy to nickel with an existing piece of your jewelry, Spence Dimaonds offers an electrochemical process called rhodium plating that coats the ring and protects your finger from exposure to nickel. It is a very easy and very common process that will not harm your ring in any way. If you’d like to know more, we’d be happy to answer your questions about rhodium plating in one of our showrooms.
If you think that you might have an allergy to nickel, ask a member of our staff in one of our Spence Diamonds showrooms to help you select an item that will not only add a bit of sparkle to your life, but will also be safe and comfortable next to your skin.

]]> http://blackmaleappreciation.com/a-spence-diamonds-guide-to-jewelry-and-allergies/feed/ 1 Health Risks Of Perfume And Perfume Allergies http://blackmaleappreciation.com/health-risks-of-perfume-and-perfume-allergies/ http://blackmaleappreciation.com/health-risks-of-perfume-and-perfume-allergies/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:03:43 +0000 admin http://blackmaleappreciation.com/?p=50 Although in ancient times perfume was merely the distillation of floral essences, perfume of today is created with both synthetic chemicals and nature based materials derived from either animals or botanical means.

Many individuals can suffer from health risks when using or being around others who use perfume as well as those who suffer from perfume allergies. Since the formulas used to make perfume is consider trade secrets by the manufacturers who make them, they are not required to list the ingredients of their perfumes, so they generally list them as fragrance on their perfume bottle labels.

Not knowing exactly what may be in any particular perfume leaves physicians lacking the information they need to make a determination of exactly what may be causing an allergic reaction or what may pose as a health risk to some people.
Here is a list of some ingredients that may or not be in any particular perfume:

- Benzaldehyde
- Benzyl acetate
- Benzyl alcohol
- Camphor
- Ethanol
- Ethyl acetate, which is on n EPA Hazardous Waste list
- Limonene
- Linalool
- a-Pinene
- g-Terpinen
- a-Terpineol

Some of these chemicals can make people ill, as they may suffer from these symptoms or illnesses that may be irritated by using or being in close contact with someone wearing perfume products.

- Rashes
- Hives
- Dermatitis
- Eczema
- Sinusitis
- Asthma
- Sever headaches
- Nausea
- Central Nervous System disorders
- Fatigue
- Drowsiness
- Impaired vision
- Trouble concentrating
- Irritation of the eyes or upper respiratory tract
- Confusion
- Convulsions
- Uncontrollable coughing or sneezing
- any other numerous reactions depending upon the person and the chemical that is irritating them

Keep in mind when wearing any perfume product, especially a designer perfume , that it may not necessarily the scent that may be irritating an allergy sufferer, rather, it is a chemical of the perfume offsetting an allergic reaction or even a health risk. Most of the time you do not even realize that someone may be allergic to perfume until they suffer a bout with their allergies while being around you.

Since perfumes today are created by using different types of, chemicals they can in turn create allergic reactions and can sometimes make worse existing conditions. When using a new or different perfume you should try a perfume sample, to make sure you are not allergic to it.

Anytime you show signs of an allergic reaction or a health risk of perfume, you should immediately stop using it, while becoming aware of its ingredients. If an allergic reaction to perfume becomes sever, you should also consult with your physician to try to find out what may be an allergy trigger or allergen for you. However, if you find you are not allergic to perfume and it poses no health risk to you and those around you, you will more than likely be able to use that particular perfume product.

Health Risks of Perfume and Perfume Allergies

Although in ancient times perfume was merely the distillation of floral essences, perfume of today is created with both synthetic chemicals and nature based materials derived from either animals or botanical means.

Many individuals can suffer from health risks when using or being around others who use perfume as well as those who suffer from perfume allergies. Since the formulas used to make perfume is consider trade secrets by the manufacturers who make them, they are not required to list the ingredients of their perfumes, so they generally list them as fragrance on their perfume bottle labels.

Not knowing exactly what may be in any particular perfume leaves physicians lacking the information they need to make a determination of exactly what may be causing an allergic reaction or what may pose as a health risk to some people.

Here is a list of some ingredients that may or not be in any particular perfume:

- Benzaldehyde
- Benzyl acetate
- Benzyl alcohol
- Camphor
- Ethanol
- Ethyl acetate, which is on n EPA Hazardous Waste list
- Limonene
- Linalool
- a-Pinene
- g-Terpinen
- a-Terpineol

Some of these chemicals can make people ill, as they may suffer from these symptoms or illnesses that may be irritated by using or being in close contact with someone wearing perfume products.

- Rashes
- Hives
- Dermatitis
- Eczema
- Sinusitis
- Asthma
- Sever headaches
- Nausea
- Central Nervous System disorders
- Fatigue
- Drowsiness
- Impaired vision
- Trouble concentrating
- Irritation of the eyes or upper respiratory tract
- Confusion
- Convulsions
- Uncontrollable coughing or sneezing
- any other numerous reactions depending upon the person and the chemical that is irritating them

Keep in mind when wearing any perfume product, especially a designer perfume , that it may not necessarily the scent that may be irritating an allergy sufferer, rather, it is a chemical of the perfume offsetting an allergic reaction or even a health risk. Most of the time you do not even realize that someone may be allergic to perfume until they suffer a bout with their allergies while being around you.

Since perfumes today are created by using different types of, chemicals they can in turn create allergic reactions and can sometimes make worse existing conditions. When using a new or different perfume you should try a perfume sample, to make sure you are not allergic to it.

Anytime you show signs of an allergic reaction or a health risk of perfume, you should immediately stop using it, while becoming aware of its ingredients. If an allergic reaction to perfume becomes sever, you should also consult with your physician to try to find out what may be an allergy trigger or allergen for you. However, if you find you are not allergic to perfume and it poses no health risk to you and those around you, you will more than likely be able to use that particular perfume product.

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