I struggle with a lot of allergies to different metals, even stainless steel gives me a reaction, I bought these a while ago and have never experienced any reaction, I use them every day but I agree that they are difficult to take off and put on. What I like about these is that I can thread beads and pendants onto the earrings so they look less boring - since I think most titanium earrings are either meant for kids or more "elegant" people.