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Thick band finger breakout

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gicki55

Rough_Rock
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Nov 18, 2008
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Hi I got this question idea from a comment in another post and felt bad talking about it there so I''ll ask here!

I have a three band ring and since getting the third band my finger has broken out twice... or it was a wart but I am thinking not due to how it looked.

Why does this happen? Is it bc of the moisture from washing my hands alot?

What kinds of steps do you use to prevent this? And what do you do to treat the breakout?
 
Hard to say. It could be due to the metal, or perhaps the additional band rubs against your skin more than the others? Perhaps the mix of metal in the new band is not the same as the others. Keep in mind that there is a chance that it might not be the band, have you been using a different lotion lately, or did you use a different jewelry cleaner to clean it? Also, keep in mind that we can develop allergies at anytime. For the longest time, my mother was not allergic to 14k yellow gold, but in her 40's she started breaking out from it. I would take off the third band for a while and resume "normal" actvities. If your skin gets better, there might be something with the band, either its metal or maybe even the location on the finger itself could be the problem.
 
Date: 1/25/2009 2:20:48 PM
Author:gicki55

Why does this happen? Is it bc of the moisture from washing my hands alot?
Click to expand...

Could be! My DH had a red, itchy rash where his wedding band was when we got back from our honeymoon. It started to go down, and then came back after he went golfing with a friend. I was convinced it was a metal allergy because he'd never worn any kind of jewelery, not even a watch, so I called my jeweler. She said to have him take off his band when he slept, worked outside, and worked out to see if there was a difference. The rash went away and has never been back - turns out, sweat was getting trapped under the band and the moisture made DH's finger break out.

I'm not sure if water and soap could make a person have the same reaction, but it's definitely possible - esp if your previous band or band/combo wasn't a problem.

ETA: While I wouldn't take my rings off when washing my hands, maybe slip them up a bit and make sure your finger is dry underneath before replacing them at their normal spot on your finger.
 
thanks for the input after thinking about this I think that it may very well be from sweating at the gym... I just don''t know what to do with it while working out. I was hesitant to lock it in a locker but it''s prob pretty safe there...
 
I didn''t break out, but my fingers started getting irritated. I started taking my rings off any time that I washed my hands and I think that helped. I could never get the rings dried enough, so I think my fingers got irritated from the water trapped between them and my skin. I also got an ultrasonic cleaner in case there was anything stuck in the rings (I could see dirt in them) that was irritating. I haven''t had any problems since then.
 
rosie which ultrasonic cleaner do you have?
 
Just don''t disregard that it could be an allergy to the metal in the 3rd ring.. It seems strange that you didn''t have a problem until the 3rd ring was added to the mix. What kind of metal are the rings? Its very common to be allergic to nickel-- if the 3rd is white gold mixed with nickel.
Hope you figure it out! Good Luck!
 
My mom''s original wedding band was 8 mm 18K gold, and she swapped it for a 4 mm band because she kept getting rashes under the wide band from moiture getting trapped under there.
 
They are 18k gold bands.
 
I had a similar problem with my white gold wedding band-- started breaking out-- small red bumps.
Everyone told me that I wasn''t drying my finger well enough/lotion under the ring, etc. So I wore another ring on that finger approx. the same width, but different metal (and moved the wedding band over to the right hand)
Broke out on the right hand and no problem with the other metal.
Figured out that I needed to replate the white gold- never knew I had a nickel allergy.
Just a suggestion-
Maybe you could experiment by adding another ring to the left (even a cheap silver just to see if having 3 on one finger is causing)? And wear the 3rd on the right (if you break out with a single thin ring, I would highly suspect allergy)
Hope that makes sense!
 
That does make sense. Thanks for the suggestion I will try it.
 
It could be a metal allergy. I would make sure that I kept my rings really clean and take them off to sleep
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The only thing about the metal allergy is that I have been wearing two of the rings for 1.5 years and the third for over a year... I know it only happened once the third one was added... but if it were a metal allergy wouldn''t I have know that from the point of engagement with the first 18k white gold band?
 
I spent a few months in Florida over the summer (I normally live in NY), and I got a rash under my diamond band on my right hand. I figured out that it was from the extra humidity and hair product residue getting stuck under my ring and not getting fully washed away. I put vitamin c mixed with water on it and that helped dry it up. Then I was just careful to really get under the ring and wash well after putting stuff in my hair. Never happened in NY, so it may have been the combo with humidity.

Maybe something like this is a possibility? Hope it gets better.
 
I personally feel that it is because the 3rd ring creates too much finger coverage. With 2 rings, there is enough air etc to keep the germs in control. But in your case, 3 rings changes the balance in favour of the bacteria that we all have. Maybe its to do with your finger length????

Anyway, this is just my guess because of my own experience. I had the chance lately to trial a three band settup and my finger went berserk. It swelled up like a balloon and the rings werent even tight.....and dont ask about the itchiness!!!!! I could hardly get the rings off, and then it took a week for my finger to go back to normal. I have no allergies either to any metal.
 
Date: 1/25/2009 7:47:25 PM
Author: gicki55
The only thing about the metal allergy is that I have been wearing two of the rings for 1.5 years and the third for over a year... I know it only happened once the third one was added... but if it were a metal allergy wouldn''t I have know that from the point of engagement with the first 18k white gold band?
Click to expand...
You can experiment here. Wear just the third ring for a while. It could be a different mix of metals than the others.

If one ring doesn''t cause a problem, I think Sharon may be right. Three just has too much finger coverage. Try harder to keep your finger dry under the rings, and limit wearing to during the day. Or go back to two rings.
 
When you go to the gym, leave them at home, NEVER in a locker. That''s a big no no. It''s too easy to steal them from a locker. Just leave them at home, or wear a plain band while you''re there. It''s most likely sweat trapped under there.
 
Years ago I started to get such a rash under my stack of WB''s that I HAD to go to the doctor and get a prescription! It was from handwashing/moisture - now I take them off alot more during the day and dry them better and I''m fine. Good luck!
 
I wear 3 rings, and I''ve found that if I wash my hands a lot I get the bumpy/itchy rash. I think it''s due to the water/soap. I try to dry my hands carefully now, but never take them off in public places. I just push them to the end of my finger, touching that finger with my thumb so the rings don''t fall off, and dry the area. (This happens to me when I''m in Las Vegas or theme parks for a few days and washing my hands a lot.)
 
You can buy waterless cleaners that are basically water-displacing solutions that contain ethanol. The ethanol will displace or dry out the water and leave your hands totally dry. These will work to stop the moisture getting trapped under your rings, but they also dry out your skin, so if you are susceptible to dry hands, these might not be great for you.

I find that when I wash my hands (and working in a lab, this is many many times a day), I automatically push my ering around on my finger after drying my hands to get air underneath it and dry out any trapped moisture. It''s become totally second nature to me now, but I hate the feeling of moisture left under my rings.

Good luck!
 
I get the same thing when I wear wide bands as well (they''re all silver rings though) It goes away when I stopped wearing it but it got so bad the skin was peeling off. My doctor said that it was not only from the moisture getting trapped, but also fungus (fungus likes damp dark places like that, that''s why they like your toes! This is the same fungus that causes athletes foot! Yuck!) He gave me some Polysporin to use but I stopped wearing the ring so didn''t know if the Polysporin would have helped if I continued to wear it. It did clear up though. If you keep wearing the 3 ring combo maybe try putting Polysporin on it at night? (I''m Canadian - I don''t know if this is just a Canadian product though, sorry) It''s like an ointment in a tube......

- Jodie -
 
Polysporin or Neosporin might help; they are both antibiotic ointments. Some hydrocortisone might help too. You can get a lower strength over-the-counter, or a doctor can prescribe a higher strength for you if he or she thinks it''s appropriate. Hydrocortisone reduces inflammation and itchiness, but it''s not advisable to use it for longer than a couple weeks as it can thin your skin.
 
Thanks for all the view points! Now that I have really been thinking about it the breakouts both happened over the summer (hot and humid here) and I wash my hands alot. I am going to make a better effort keep it dry under there. It also didn''t happen until all three rings were soldered. Now I only have two soldered so I will be able to give my finger a rest from time to time with the thickness. And I am not going to where them at night anymore... If the breakouts happen again I will then try moving my rings to the right hand and see what happens...

THANKS!! :) I feel better about this now.
 
Does it itch and look like bubbles? That is when soap and moisture gets trapped between your ring and your finger, neosporin will clear that up. Just be sure to propperly dry underneath your rings to prevent it... I never use the hand dryers in the USA for that reason... they aren''t strong enough.
 
sounds like eczema to me... which could break out due to the moisture.
 
I don''t recall it itching but it was bubbly.
 
This has happened to me when I have worn thicker bands...being a nurse, I wash my hands a lot so I am pretty sure that it had to do with moisture.
 
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