I woke up yesterday morning to find the tops of both of my ears were all swelled up and red, with an itchy, scaly rash on the back. I had no idea what it was from so I went to the doctor. They seemed to think it had to do with the metal in one of my piercings, but that doesn't make any sense, because I've had all but one of the same earrings in for weeks..wouldn't a problem with them have shown up a long time ago? My most recent piercing (tragus) was done a week ago, but it's only on one side, so that doesn't explain why there is a rash on BOTH ears, nowhere near where I had the piercing done. The area around the new piercing doesn't appear to be infected at all, it's just a little tender if I bump it, when I had my cartilage a few years ago it was the same way. I haven't used any new products, so I don't know what the problem could be...I haven't eaten anything out of the ordinary that I can think of, so I don't think it's a food allergy, but who knows..I also have a slightly scratchy throat and some ear pressure...any ideas? Oh and I'm currently on Prednisone and Benadryl, prescribed at the doctor yesterday.

A reaction to metal can happen at any time....Just like allergies in general. A person can be allergy free all their life and then boom....They have full blown allergies....same goes for allergies to cats, dogs, & other animals.

In terms of metal, the same thing can happen. My daughter has an allergy to metal and belt buckles bother her....Just popped up one day. If she wears a piece of tape on her belly button, it doesn't bother her, but then you have the issue of the tape itching & etc.

Try taking the metal out, and if the condition improves quickly, it's probably the cause. Also, try different antihistimines....Some may work better than others....each person is different.

Hope this helps.