Scientists in Switzerland are calling it the "Toasted Skin Syndrome," and the condition occurs when skin is exposed to heat from a laptop computer for long periods of time.
Scientists in Switzerland are calling it the "Toasted Skin Syndrome," and the condition occurs when skin is exposed to heat from a laptop computer for long periods of time. An article published Monday in the journal Pediatrics documents a case of a 12-year-old boy who had "mottled" skin on his left thigh after playing computer games every day, hours at a time for several months.
The report indicates that he is the youngest in 10 reported cases of laptop-induced dermatosis since 2004.
The researchers involved in the study, Dr. Andreas W. Arnold and Dr. Peter H. Itin at the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland, described the area on the boy "toasted" by the laptop as discolored, sponge-patterned skin, according to CBC News and the article in Pediatrics.
"He recognized that the laptop got hot on the left side. However, regardless of that, he did not change its position," the researchers wrote in their findings.
A separate case documented in the findings involved a Virginia law student who suffered from the condition. In this instance, heat from the laptop registered at about 125 degrees.
The researchers also noted that the problem can be caused by prolonged use of heating pads which can darken the skin permanently. They recommend that anyone working with a laptop for prolonged periods of time use a heat barrier.
While information from the report did not directly link cancer to laptop use, the findings indicated a small risk resulting from skin damage caused by the long-term use of laptops.
They also recommend that warning labels be added to all laptops in the future.
Source: DailyTech
