Erin Dunn first noticed symptoms in November.
The 24-year-old health worker recalls that it all started when her eye turned red, which she initially mistook for pink eye or allergies. To confirm that it was not contagious, on Wednesday, November 8, Dunn left work early to visit the urgent care.
There she received antibiotic drops and was informed that it was not pink eye or anything contagious. However, the treatment did not relieve her symptoms. She decided to wait and see if things improved, but on Dec. 15, Dunn noticed a rash around her eyes.
“It lasted through May, mostly causing itching and peeling around my eyes, ears, mouth and neck, as well as on my fingers where my rings were,” Dunn tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Some days it flared up a lot worse than others.”
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Erin Dunn allergic reaction to earrings.
Erin Dunn
Dunn tried “everything” to resolve the rash, including steroid creams, eliminating gluten and dairy from her diet and changing detergents.
“I even thought I might be allergic to my cat, so I switched him to hypoallergenic food and started vacuuming and brushing him every other day,” she says. “I then switched to washing my face with a gentle cleanser and using a gentle moisturizer and medicated ointment, which helped with the dryness but not the itching or irritation.”
Still, nothing seemed to keep the rash at bay. Then, in early June, Dunn made the decision to take off her earrings. She Googled an article about earrings causing eczema and saw photos that resembled her symptoms. By the next morning, she noticed that the rash had faded.
“When I realized they might be the cause, I thought, ‘I really hope it’s not my earrings because that would mean I just wasted six months of my life and hundreds of dollars because of my $2 earrings,'” she says.
“As a child, I was sensitive to jewelry—never this bad, but the occasional itch from rings and bracelets. This was the first time I felt, ‘Oh my God, I think I’ve got it!’ It gave me hope for the first time in months.”
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Erin Dunn allergic reaction to earrings.
Erin Dunn
After making this discovery, Dunn took to TikTok to share her story. To her surprise, her video went viral with a million views and over 1,100 comments.
“I wrote about it on TikTok because every day I would look for answers or solutions to my problems, and I almost always went to TikTok,” she says. “Usually it’s doctors or real people sharing their experiences, but I’ve never seen a video talking about metal allergies.”
“I thought it was extremely important to share my story with others who are facing the same problem and may not have tried what I am,” she adds.
Since removing the earrings, Dunn says her symptoms have almost disappeared. He no longer feels redness, irritation or itching at all. Currently, she avoids wearing any jewelry except for the earring in her nose, which did not cause any reactions.
“It’s mostly just feeling normal again,” she says. “The biggest relief is that I’m no longer afraid to look people in the eye and wonder if they can see my horrible reaction.”
She adds: “I want people to know that if they’re dealing with something like eczema, acne or any other insecurities, they’re not alone. Don’t lose hope because sometimes these things just take time to resolve.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education