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Doctors are seeing a skin rash on some users of cell phones. It's very similar to the allergic reaction people experience wearing some forms of jewelry, but in this case, it's coming from the cell phone itself.
Dr. Gregory Wickern, with Intermountain Allergy and Asthma Clinic, said some cell phones have free nickel in the metallic trim, and it can be absorbed by the skin. When held against the ear or side of the face, the cell phone can trigger the rash on people who are reactive to this kind of metal.
That's what happened to an 18-year-old in Canada. The pattern of the rash is almost a mirror image of the cell phone he held against his face.
Dr. Wickern said it's not life threatening, it's just a nuisance. He said, "This can develop even into sometimes a blistering rash and because it's very itchy, if it's blistery and itchy, you'll be scratching and might get it infected."
Like any allergic skin rash, Dr. Wickern said there are ways to treat it. "If you use the right strength topical steroid cream or ointment, you can generally control it within a couple of weeks," He said. "If you use something that is too weak, it will go on and on as you continue to re-expose yourself to the allergen."
You can buy what is called a disclosure solution that when applied with a Q-tip on the metal trim of your cell phone will turn pink if it is free nickel.
Obviously, it doesn't make sense to give up the cell phone, so if you are reactive to free nickel, consider a barrier like rubber or a protective plastic case that covers most of the phone.
Wickern said he hasn't seen anybody at this point in time with this type of rash, but he suspects at some point he will.
It's estimated that 10 percent of all women are reactive to free nickel. The numbers are growing among men as more wear pierced ear jewelry.
E-mail: eyeates@ksl.com
