…display allergic skin responses to gold jewelry or dental crowns, says Dr. Thomas Fuchs of Goettingen University Hospital in Germany. After a survey of various dermatological clinics and hospitals, he concluded pure, unalloyed gold can trigger allergic reactions. The degree of allergy varies from immediate dermatitis on hands and feet from contact with gold items to reactions only after many years of skin contact.
Skin Rashes
Chrysotherapy is a successful treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, but dermatological reactions to gold limit therapeutic usage. A study done at Tel Aviv Medical Center reported in “Annals of Rheumatic Diseases” was discontinued when patients given gold salts reacted adversely with symptoms including gold-induced skin rashes. After the study was stopped, coincidentally the patients with skin rash experienced remission in their rheumatoid arthritis. The patients without skin rash did not.