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Help! Itchy rashes after pole (developed recently)
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Do you know what the studio owners use to clean the poles? It might be that. 1 year seems awfully soon. Does the studio you go to where you don’t react have chrome poles older than that?
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Teachtrinity – thanks I will have to add that to the list of things I should try 🙂 I know that you can develop allergies over time but what makes this so strange is that I can still use the chrome xpoles at my old studio and at home and not get a reaction.
AerialGypsy – they use rubbing alcohol and windex, but I always wipe down my pole before I use it with the rubbing alcohol. The poles at my old studio are at least 2 years old but they are not used nearly as much (1 – 2 hours a day 5 days a week vs. 4 – 5 hours 7 days a week). I’m also going to talk to the studio owner tonight to see if she has insight into what might be causing this reaction.
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Try patch testing windex?
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Yea, I’ll definitely have to try that too.
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Update #3
Patch tested windex and itac (since I found out that many people in studio use it and I don’t) and they were both negative. Went back to my old studio again one last time and my skin was perfectly fine. After poling for 2.5 hours last night at the new studio, I immediately wiped down my body with these antibacterial wipes (the athletic body wipe) that I bought from Amazon, showered as soon as I got home, put a ton of calming lotion on and a little bit of Benadryl anti itch gel near my underarms (where I am most prone to breaking out in rashes). I woke up briefly in he middle of the night feeling itchy but I tried convincing myself that it was psychosomatic and fell back asleep. I woke up this morning and I had rashes on my underarm area, obliques, and part of my leg. However, they weren’t as bad as the rashes I got last week.
So, I think it’s safe to say that these rashes are contact dermatitis from the actual pole (most likely nickel). I don’t know why I never noticed this before, but when I took a good look at the chrome poles at my new studio, I noticed that the finish is dull and they aren’t shiny like my chrome pole at home/chrome poles at my old studio, so it’s possible that the chrome later is stripped and the nickel underneath is being exposed.
My next step is to try some barrier cream, since wiping down my body after poling didn’t prevent 100% of the rashes. I read online that a zinc-oxide based cream can help protect the skin so I will try that next. I know that some people suggested taking Benadryl before poling, but I really don’t want to rely on oral medications/become dependent on them, especially since I’m trying to find a permanent solution.
Also, should I be concerned with exposing my body to nickel on a daily basis? After reading articles on nickel allergy and the harmful side effects associated with nickel over-exposure, I’m starting to freak out a little since I will be training at my new studio 6+ hours a week.
Thanks everyone for helping me figure this out!! 🙂
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Whats wrong with the original studio that you don’t want to go there instead of going through all this just to pole at the new studio…What does the new studio have over the old studio?
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If it really is from the nickel, and if you bring the wipes with you and periodically clean your skin, and shower immediately after pole, and you’re getting no rash or very little rash, then I don’t think you have literally any reason at all to worry about nickel toxicity from a topical encounter.
As to the difference in the poles, xpole has said that they use a slightly different process for applying the chrome coating than they did originally and in years past and I think they have a bit of a different look to them. However look closely at the surface of the poles…look for lots of little scratches/scuff marks, it’s possible that at some point they used an abrasive chemical or treatment like fine sandpaper or magic eraser which roughed up the coating and is giving you more exposure to the nickel but…from what I understand about how chrome plating works and seals the surface, you’re not talking about a high level of exposure here. Possibly enough to cause a slight surface reaction but if you are allergic enough to react from just that, if you were having enough contact for nickel toxicity you would be in bad shape.
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Cij1916 – my old studio is not just a pole studio (they have Zumba, yoga, dance, etc.) so they only offer pole a couple times a week. Also, in terms of the difficultly of classes thy offer, I have outgrown them. My new studio is at a higher level and dedicated solely to pole which is why I decided to make the switch last month.
Poledanceromance – I looked at the poles that I react to and there are no scratches or scuff marks, the entire pole looks dull compared to other chrome xpoles. You can also tell that they used to be shiny and have since worn off because the base of the pole is still shiny. But, like you said, because my rashes are definitely on the mild side I guess I don’t have to worry about nickel toxicity. It seems like I only get rashes on areas that are very sensitive (armpit area, legs, stomach), since when I did shouldermount work the other day I didn’t get any kind of contact dermitis on my shoulder.
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Hi. I am allergic to the chrome x pole that my studio uses. I didn’t have much problems until I progressed to more than spins. Anyway what I usually do is pop an antihistamine before class and liberal steroid cream use if any rashes do appear. Normally it works quite well. I have a titanium gold pole at home with no issues. As of now, I already have some permanent patches of thickened scaly skin at areas of contact like between my thighs. UGLY!!
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Maybe its not the pole it could be the reaction to the cream and the chemical they used to clean the pole. Just call your doctor
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I too get really bad rashes and they are so hard not to itch. I just put it down to friction with the pole and maybe creams other girls are using etc before they come to pole because my skin is usually pretty sensitive anyways.
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I have a nickel allergy and react more to recently made x poles than older ones, but I have a reaction to both. I also react to some brands of brass poles that obviously have a different alloy to others. I wipe the poles at the studio with a cloth I bring from home with acetone on it regularly during my time there which helps to a point, I think, but I always get a reaction after using a chrome pole. I react to a lot of jewellery too.
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The same thing happened to me. I had had no problem from using a chrome pole although I’m allergic to Nickle, but skin rash suddenly developed one day. It had gotten me to the point that I couldn’t pole at all. Once it was triggered, it didn’t go away unless I stopped poling. Now I’m using a stainless pole and a brass pole since they are absolutely allergy free in my case.
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The reason why you can develop the nickel reaction over time is because the finish of the pole will be wearing away (like you say it looks dull). Brass is allergy free which is why my instructor recommends it but be sure it’s solid brass, not just a coating which will corrode over time! (Try the magnet test: if it sticks to the pole it’s not solid brass)
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In reality, any of the poles can cause allergies, maybe with the exception of powder coat, but I’m just guessing on that one. Chrome seems to be the worst, but I would not be surprised to see people eventually react to their TG poles, only because it is the same process as the chrome, just with an extra coating on it. Stainless has nickel in it, it’s just not a layer like the chrome. Instead, it’s intercolated (sp?) into the entire pole.
Someone said Felix Cane mentioned being allergic to ALL poles. Not sure if it’s true or not, though.
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