Actually, the issue is not moot as more and more people are becoming affected. I am a long time Apple customer, starting with my first Macintosh in 1986. Believe me, the last thing on my mind is to complain about Apple products.
That said, I was diagnosed a few months ago with Dyshidrosis (also known as dyshidrotic eczema, pompholyx, podopompholyx, cheiropompholyx, acute vesiculobullous hand eczema, or just simply hand eczema). This condition causes small, itchy blisters on the hands (and sometimes also the feet). The skin becomes very thick and cracks. As soon as any of the blisters begin to clear up, several more reappear overnight. I experience a constant bombardment of blisters on the palms of my hands. Nothing over the counter or prescribed by a dermatologist has cleared up the problem.
One of the common triggers of dyshidrosis is an allergic reaction to nickel.
While I cannot be certain that I developed this condition after using my Mac laptops for so many years, the pattern of the breakouts on my hands match with my normal habit of where I rest my hands. My right hand is less affected than my left hand. I have noticed that my right hand is lifted up more often as I move around the keyboard and trackpad. During that time, my left hand palm is resting flat on the Mac's aluminum body.
To be honest, I cannot imagine not using my Mac so I'm going to do my best to cover all parts of it using one of the recommended products out there, such as possibly the InvisibleShield or BodyGuardz full body covers. I understand I must also cover my iPhone and iPad with full body protection.
I very much hope as the news of more and more people developing nickel allergies from the many electronic devices we use each day, Apple will offer products with bodies that do not contain nickel. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, but the long-term consequences are proving to do more harm than good.
The only way people can become educated about the nickel allergy is for those of use who are affected to speak up. Dismissing our comments simply because you are not affected does not make it a non-issue. There once was a time when I was not affected, as well. Now I am. Who's next?
It's also important that others know of the connection between electronics with nickel and the development of allergies to nickel. It is likely that people are dealing with this condition without knowing of the connection. The first step to finding a solution is to find the cause.
If you are not familiar with this problem, google dyshidrosis (or any of the alternative names) with Apple, Macintosh, computers, and so on. You'll find a lot of others now suffering from the condition and the link with Apple (and any other brand using nickel) products. I wish I had known before it happened to me. I would have taken more precautions. Now all I can do is figure out the best way to deal with it.
