By Manda
Somewhere during the course of my pregnancy with my son - who was born last October - my wedding rings would not longer fit on my lovely Sausage Hands. Isn't pregnancy grand!? About two months after my son's birth, the swelling was finally down enough that I could squeeeeeeeze my rings back on. And 24 hours later? My finger looked like this:
(and it felt about how it looked. OUCH.)
So there I am. 30 pounds overweight. My hair is falling out. None of my clothes fit. I'm an exhausted post-partum hormonal mess with a wee baby and a crazy two-year-old. And to top it all off? Wearing my wedding band and engagement ring (the same rings I have worn for nearly 7 years around the clock) turns my finger into a blistered mess. It was decidedly NOT an awesome time.
My rings are platinum, so I know I'm not suffering from a nickel allergy. An outcry to Twitter for help and a furious Google search led me to the conclusion that I have "wedding ring" dermatitis (this article was helpful to me, although I have no idea if it is a reputable source).
I know this might not seem like a particularly "stylish" post, but to me? My wedding rings are a part of my everyday style. They, of course, hold a lot of meaning for me personally. They are also, however, my favorite accessory, not to mention the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I own. Whether I'm dressing up or wearing sweats, going to a wedding or to Costco ... I always wear my rings. It kills me to see them sitting on the dresser in a ring box.
Apparently this issue - when your finger suddenly reacts with an uncomfortable rash underneath a ring you wear frequently - is rather common so I'll share what's helped me wear my rings again (and I hope some of you will share how you've dealt with this issue if you'd had it).
One of my go-to products for extremely dry skin has always been Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream. It's an extremely thick and rich ointment-like cream. I rub a generous dollop into my hands at night and sometimes rub a little into my finger during the day. It's kinda magic.
Another product I've had some luck with is Gold Bond Medicated Anti-Itch Lotion and Gold Bond Medicated Anti-Itch Cream at night. I tried cortizone cream but found that it didn't really moisturize the area, and in my case that was crucial. Gold Bond does not contain cortizone, and also seems to include some sort of menthol, so if you use one of these products please be sure to take your contact lenses out BEFORE applying to your hands. Learned that one the hard way.
I have also learned to take my rings off before I go to bed at night, something I have never done before (in fact I never took them off because I am terrified of losing them). It gives my finger a chance to air out and necessarily reduces the amount of contact. Now all I need is a special place to keep them at night ... I've been eyeballing this dish (mine would say "to have and to hold" ... get it?!):
(photo via lisaleonardonline.com}
My last recommendation is to keep your rings clean. Every week or so I drop mine in
this jewelry cleaner and give them a little scrub with the provided brush, but you could probably also just use some rubbing alcohol an an old toothbrush. You want to be sure that nothing is getting trapped between your skin and your rings, and if you're like me and do your own housecleaning and wash your hands frequently, this is particularly important (soap and chemicals are major irritants).
So there you have it! I now can wear my wedding rings during the day with only occasional discomfort. I still have flare-ups now and then, but I'm confident that if I stay on top of my new regime of moisturizing, taking my rings off at night, and keeping my jewelry clean that the problem will dissipate.
(As a side note? Losing 15 pounds hasn't hurt me getting my rings back on, either. Fifteen to go!)
Have you had to deal with this type of dermatitis? How do you treat it?
