Health

Toasted Skin Syndrome Can Be Caused By Hot Laptops: Photo

by Amy Judd | October 4, 2010 at 07:30 am

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Toasted Skin Syndrome Can Be Caused By Leaving a Hot Laptop on Your Lap For Too Long

In a study published in the journal Pediatrics released by the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland on Monday, researchers followed the case of a 12-year-old boy who developed a 'discolored sponge-patterned skin' on his legs. They determined he developed this toasted skin syndrome from playing video games on his laptop on his lap for a few hours every day for a few months.

"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 another documented case in 2007, a Virginia law student developed the same condition after working with a laptop on her legs. She had worked about six hours a day with her computer on her lap.

Toasted skin syndrome is harmless, but can leave your skin permanently dark, and researchers caution that damaged skin could lead to cancers.

It is suggested that you place a carrying case or a heat shield on your legs if you are going to work with it on your lap.

In the past, “toasted skin syndrome” has occurred in workers whose jobs require being close to a heat source, including bakers and glass blowers, and, before central heating, in people who huddled near potbellied stoves to stay warm.

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Jordan Yerman

at 07:50 on October 4th, 2010

There's a reason that multicore laptops are called "notebooks" by their manufacturers. They're getting divorced from the lap, as they run hot. You'll find this across brands and operating systems.