White gold - making my finger red, dry & itchy?

[bubbaray]

Um, are you PG? This happened with my rings (one WG, one platinum) when I was PG.


Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[mommyoftwo]

I get that problem especially in the winter. It has nothing to do with the quality of the ring itself but it happens (for me anyway) because water and/or soap gets stuck under my rings and dries out my skin and causes a lot of irritation. Every once in a while I will have to take off my wedding rings for a few days and let things heal. I have found that the best way to avoid the problem is to take off my rings after washing my hands and thoroughly dry my skin and the rings off. It's cut down on my problem immensely. I also will put lotion on the area regularly if I seem to be having a problem developing. I don't know if that is your problem, but that is what has worked for me.

[dawell0]

Non-medical opinion--Sounds like either a reaction to the ring or escemia (can't spell). I agree with the PP to try that when washing hands.

[Marisa6826]

Are your hands swollen, possibly causing the ring to be too tight?

You can 'paint' the inside of the ring with clear nailpolish and it should stop the reaction.

-m

[alexsmommy]

No, you're not weird, this is pretty common. It's probably either eczema or "contact dermatitis" (translation - something irritating your skin but you may never find out what). It can develop out of the blue years into wearing a ring. Give your skin a break for a few days, and when you put the rings back on make sure to rinse/dry very well under the ring every time you wash your hands. Take the ring off at night to let the area rest and get some air. Hydrocortisone may help too. I have very sensitive skin and eczema - I can't wear gold rings for any length of time and I have to take off my platinum engagement/wedding rings every night to avoid major problems. I still have occasional weeks that I have to give my ring finger a rest.
Alaina
Alex Feb '03
and #2 in early summer '07

[pampamz]

Thanks all - I don't think I'm PG!!! Yikes!
I wondered if soap was getting under there but it doesn't happen with my yellow gold rings.
I'm going to try all suggestions and see what happens. I fell terrible not wearing the ring --DH bought it all on his own and I love it!

[jbowman]

This happened a year ago with my platinum wedding ring and a white gold class ring. I was BFing at the time, but was not PG. I tried a bunch of things, but this is what worked for me: hydrogen peroxide. I soaked the rings in hydrogen peroxide (which I still do periodically), and have never had a problem since. HTH!

[casey118]

I have this happen all of the time with different rings, different metals. Here are some things that have worked for me, and were recommended by my jeweler.

As PP said, make sure you dry under your ring well after washing your hands.

Get the inside of your ring rhodium plated (which is usually how "white gold" is made). It could be that the plating on the inside of the ring has worn off, and there are more impurities in the metal underneath that are irritating your skin.

Clean your ring every time you take it off. My jeweler suggested keeping a pretty little jar with a lid on my bathroom counter filled with water and a couple drops of ammonia, and let it soak for however long (overnight is ok I think). That will remove lotions, and other build ups that might be irritating your finger.

Sleep with your ring on. This one finally worked for me, even though it sounds strange. If your finger is irritated, particularly if you have eczema, leave your ring on because possibly you are irritating your finger more by taking your ring on and off.

Lastly, as PP said, it could be some contact dermatitis that you will never figure out. Leave your ring off until it heals. My jeweler said that happened to him with his wedding ring where one day its got really irritated, and it would start to itch and burn everytime he put it on for a couple of months, then one day it was fine again.

HTH, and good luck!
Kimberly

[pampamz]

I have a white gold family ring that I've been wearing for the past 2 years. This past month the skin under the ring got all raw and really irritated. I took it off for about 1 week and it recovered.

I just put it on again yesterday and the same thing started! Has anyone exp. this? I've been wearing the ring nonstop until now and never before had a problem.

Am I just wierd?

[pinkmomagain]

This exact same thing happened to me in my 3rd pregnancy with my platinum wedding band. The diamonds are channel set and so I think the underside traps dirt/debris/oils/soaps,etc. Don't know why it didn't bother for 11 years until out of the blue during my 3rd pregnancy? (BTW, the problem continued even after the birth of dd, breastfeeding, weening, etc.) Anyways, I would need to soak it in warm sudsy water and then take a toothbrush to try to clean it. My skin would be fine for about a month and then it would start again. I went on like that for a couple of years until recently when I got a 3 stone anniversary band to replace it.The setting is not channel so I am hoping it won't trap dirt as much.

Sounds like some of the suggestions of pp might help (hydrogen peroxide, clear nail polish, etc.). I would give them a try.

Good Luck!

Gina