Toasted Skin Syndrome

Do you place your laptop on top of lap? Of course, you do! I, too, admit to placing my laptop on my lap. Because, apparently, that's what it's called--a "lap" top--and should be placed accordingly. Yet this IS A VERY BAD IDEA! (Ugh! I should know this now? ^^,) Aside from the heat discharge killing sperm cells on male laptop users, it causes another side effect: a nettle sting-like rash named Toasted Skin Syndrom.

In a recent article published on the November 5 issue of Pediatrics, a 12-year-old boy developed a sponge-patterned skin discolouration on his left thigh after playing computer games for a few hours every day for several months.

'He recognised that the laptop got hot on the left side (most likely where the CPU was located), however, regardless of that, he did not change its position,' Swiss researchers wrote in the medical-journal Pediatrics.

Another case involved an American law student with a mottled discolouration on her leg.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Benabio,

Toasted Skin Syndrome is a red, brown rash that develops as a result of prolonged exposure to heat without an actual burn. The redness develops in a particular pattern, as seen in the photo, called reticulate or net like. Slowing of blood flow in the affected area, called hemostasis, is likely the cause.

The Swiss doctors also call it laptop-induced dermatosis, and the effects could go as far as permanent darkening of the skin. In rare cases, it could lead to skin cancer. Doctors said that this could be even worse in kids: "Our patient has had only comparatively shortly used his laptop, which indicates that children's skin is more sensitive to heat."

If your must place the laptop on your lap, buy an Aircube Laptop sleeve. It's a laptop sleeve and doubles as a heat disperser. Or get an iPad or one of these hot tablets.