For all the iPad users out there as well as users of cell phones, laptops, and other tablets – which is just about everyone these days, including children – a recent medical report says these electronic devices may be the cause of increase cases of a skin rash called allergic contact dermatitis.
If you or your children have nickel allergy, increased direct contact to nickel substances may be causing allergic contact dermatitis, a condition that results in skin becoming uncomfortable with redness, bumps, itching and crusting. It may also lead to chronic dermatitis with scaling and redness.
In the July 14 issue of Pediatrics, it details the case of an 11-year-old user of a first-generation iPad who was treated for allergic contact dermatitis due to nickel allergy. After limiting exposure to the device, the child’s rash “significantly improved.”
The solution for the 11-year-old child was to cover the nickel-laden back of the iPad to reduce contact with the skin.
So, the next time a dermatitis outbreak occurs, take notice if it may be due to contact with these nickel-ridden electronics, and limit exposure to skin.
Nickel allergy is quite common and while allergic contact dermatitis is unsightly, the itchy rash is neither contagious nor life-threatening.
Also keep in mind that nickel exposure can also occur with clothing fasteners, ear piercings, dental work and video-game controllers.
[Source: Pediatrics; American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology.]
Photo by Tom Morris, via Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported