Warning: Laptops can cause Toasted Skin Syndrome and finally lead to Skin Cancer - Facts Analysis

Story:

Do you have a laptop?
Beware!!!
Extreme heat from laptops can cause Toasted Skin Syndrome that may finally lead to Skin Cancer.
Stop using laptop over the legs.

Picture: Warning, Laptops can cause Toasted Skin Syndrome and finally lead to Skin Cancer — Warning, Laptops can cause Toasted Skin Syndrome and finally lead to Skin Cancer

Analysis:

It is a fact that extreme heat from laptops, when exposed over your lap for long periods of time can lead to a skin condition called Toasted Skin Syndrome (also called laptop thigh or erythema ab igne). It is a skin disease indicated by discolouration and mottling of the skin, and is caused by prolonged exposure to an infrared heat source, like that of sun.

This concern started in 2004, when a 12-year-old boy developed the skin condition on his left thigh after playing video games on his laptop for several hours a day. The boy continued to use his laptop on his bare legs for several months, even though he felt the extreme heat from the laptop. Refer picture in image section.

Another case was reported in the year 2007 in Virginia, when a law student sought treatment for the mottled discoloration on her leg. Doctors found out that the young woman used to spend about six hours a day working with her laptop on her lap. The temperature underneath the laptop was registered to be 125F (52C).

According to researchers, this condition can also can be by overuse of heating pads and other heat sources that generally are not hot enough to cause burns. Not just with laptops, toasted skin syndrome can also affect bakers, silversmiths, boiler operators and others whose jobs involve exposure to heat. Although this condition is usually harmless, it can cause permanent skin darkening. And in very rare cases, it may cause damage leading to skin cancers.

Therefore, it is important to check how you use your laptops. Note that children’s skin is particularly sensitive and is more susceptible to heat, in case of laptops too. Never neglect simple common-sense measures such as using a heat shield under the laptop, or by placing the laptop on a surface. In fact, most laptop manufacturers like Apple, Hewlett Packard and Dell issue warning in user manuals not to place laptops on exposed skin.