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How to Prevent Toasted Skin Syndrome Caused by Laptop Computers

A portable laptop knee trayHave you ever wondered whether using a laptop can cause skin conditions or cancer? Well, while the chances of a laptop causing skin cancer is extremely rare, chances of developing a skin condition known as toasted skin syndrome is much higher. Toasted skin syndrome (TSS) is a condition that is caused by long-term exposure to heat or infrared radiation. While it used to be common among bakers and glass-blowers of years gone by, laptop users have become increasingly prone to being affected.

Symptoms

Symptoms of TSS include a marked redness and colouring of the skin, thinning skin tissues and sometimes sores or lesions. In extreme cases, infected people can develop permanent darkening of the skin.

Prevention and Treatment

Due to the temperature underneath laptops, people who keep laptops on their knees for long periods, without any protection, are more susceptible to TSS. In some cases, patients have been found to place laptops on their laps for as much as 6 hours a day, working or playing games on their computers. Therefore, the best form of prevention is by removing the source of heat, in this case the laptop from the skin area. This can be done by reducing the amount of time spent on your laptop or alternatively using a portable laptop knee tray. Taking these simple steps could help prevent potentially serious health risks in future.

Talking Point

How much time do you spend on your laptop a day?

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11 Comments

11 Comments

  1. Pingback: Tweets that mention How to Prevent Toasted Skin Syndrome Caused by Laptop Computers

  2. VPS Hosting

    November 20, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    Toasted skin syndrome usually results from a work injury where a worker experiences prolonged exposure to a heat or infrared source.Toasted skin syndrome is described as harmless by some but the skin darkening and discoloration can be permanent. Some experts say that there may be some risk that carcinoma can develop from the site of hyperpigmentation.

  3. Bishwajeet

    November 20, 2010 at 8:22 pm

    Never thought that there could be skin syndrome caused by laptops 🙁

  4. Henway

    November 21, 2010 at 3:57 am

    Laptops can also cause a decrease in sperm if you put the laptop in your lap due to the heat… they’re evil.. go buy yourself a desktop or connect your laptop to a fullscreen monitor.

  5. cadeau geek

    November 21, 2010 at 8:42 am

    only for laptop ?

    what about Ipad ? smartphone …

  6. Wholesale suppliers

    November 25, 2010 at 10:36 am

    Toasted Skin Syndrome effects one when the heat touches the body more than a usual ratio. This knee tray or laptop cooler pad is a must have product for every person who’s too much into using laptop for working, gaming or whatever.

  7. Jason

    June 16, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    If you are travelling, it is wise to use a laptop bag under the laptop while using. FYI, Toasted skin syndrome is also called laptop-induced dermatosis

  8. skin

    December 4, 2011 at 10:33 pm

    Well I spend a good amount of time on my laptop, around 8-10 hours. Since I work from home, I’m mostly operating the laptop on my bed, with the laptop resting on my body. And my laptop heats up pretty fast.
    So yeah, I’m sure I’ve got this syndrome, but since its not life threatening or something, I would bother much.

  9. Janet

    February 14, 2012 at 9:14 pm

    Hyperpigmentation can has many possible causes and in some instances can be a sign of carcinoma. Natural treatments can be effective. But if you see the spot continue to grow I would ask my doctor. In most forms hyperpigmentation has no other bad effects than how you see yourself. But today there are many good treatments for hyperpigmentation.

  10. Joseph Miles

    January 14, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    This is quite alarming. I used laptop everyday, thank good I have never experience TSS.

  11. Ashley George

    February 20, 2014 at 11:48 am

    Yay! I always put my laptop on top of my legs. I felt itchiness on the heated part so I then decided to buy a little table (like the one’s for breakfast in bed) so I can get more comfortable in doing stuff over my computer. Thanks for this article!

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