Solid silver is one of the metals that is least likely to cause contact allergic dermatitis.

Silver is considered to be pure when it is 99.9% silver. Pure silver can be hard to make into jewellery as it is very soft. Sterling silver jewellery is often an alloy (mix) of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. So it can sometimes cause allergic reactions in people who are severely allergic to copper. The most likely to cause allergic reactions is silver plated, which can be any metal covered in a fine layer of silver. This is often nickel, which is the metal most likely to cause allergic reactions.

White and rose gold jewellery is sometimes made with silver instead of nickel, so is another metal to watch out for if you have contact allergic reactions to silver. German silver (also called nickel silver), does not contain any silver at all, but is mostly made up of nickel and copper which can cause allergic reactions.

Silver is antibacterial, so is a common ingredient in topical gels and lotions for wound healing and burns. The most common side effect of this is contact allergic dermatitis.

Silver allergy is most associated with allergic contact dermatitis.

If you are allergic to other metals like gold and nickel you may also be sensitive to silver, especially the more impure variations.

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