A heated blanket or heating pad might keep you warm in the cold winter months, but experts are warning of a potential danger.
Too much close exposure to high heat can cause noticeable skin damage, or a condition called toasted skin syndrome.
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Several heated blanket users have shared their own experiences with the syndrome on social media, displaying discolored patterns on their skin.
One TikTok user, Faith Harrell (@faith_harrell), posted a video of toasted skin syndrome discoloration on her stomach from using a heating pad that plugs in.
“Your friendly reminder to not excessively use your heating pad on your stomach at the highest setting,” Faith Harrell wrote in a TikTok video, which currently has seven million views. (TikTok @faith_harrell)
“Your friendly reminder to not excessively use your heating pad on your stomach at the highest setting,” she wrote in the video, which currently has seven million views.
Harrell told Fox News Digital that the burn marks are “not painful” but do get “super itchy.”
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Though the mottled pores and skin has not cleared, Harrell stated she nonetheless sleeps with the heating pad over her garments in opposition to her abdomen.
“It hasn’t gone away, but it can go away if you stop using heat on the area of the mottled skin,” Harrell instructed Fox Information Digital. (TikTok @faith_harrell)
Manhattan-based dermatologist Dr. Brendan Camp, M.D., stated that toasted pores and skin syndrome, formally often known as erythema ab igne (EAI), is a “pattern of discoloration that occurs in areas of skin after prolonged exposure to heat sources.”
The primary trigger is long-term publicity to warmth “below the threshold for thermal burn,” he instructed Fox Information Digital.
“While it might seem harmless at first, repeated exposure can lead to permanent damage, and in some cases, increase the risk of skin cancer.”
Pores and skin modifications can happen after extended publicity to any warmth supply, Camp famous, together with laptops, heated automotive seats, sizzling water bottles, electrical blankets, house heaters and heating pads used to deal with decrease again ache.
“Toasted skin syndrome is unlikely to occur after a single exposure,” he stated. “It occurs after repeated exposure to the same heat source.”
Different sizzling gadgets like laptops, heated automotive seats, sizzling water bottles, electrical blankets and house heaters may trigger toasted pores and skin syndrome, specialists warned. (iStock)
Dr. Alexandra Bowles, a board-certified dermatologist at MONA Dermatology in Cincinnati, Ohio, added that the situation is marked by “a mottled, reddish-brown discoloration that can become more prominent and permanent over time.”
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“This occurs when the skin is exposed to heat high enough to dilate blood vessels, but not to the point of causing burns,” she instructed Fox Information Digital.
“While it might seem harmless at first, repeated exposure can lead to permanent damage, and in some cases, increase the risk of skin cancer due to the cellular changes caused by the heat.”
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Camp agreed that the long-term threat of toasted pores and skin syndrome is the “development of malignancies,” like sure cancers, in affected areas as a consequence of broken pores and skin cells.
Lengthy-term publicity to heated gadgets and toasted pores and skin syndrome can result in an elevated threat of most cancers, specialists warned. (iStock)
To forestall toasted pores and skin syndrome, Bowles recommends avoiding direct and extended contact with warmth sources and utilizing a barrier, like fabric, between pores and skin and warmth.
“In the event you discover any uncommon pores and skin discoloration or texture modifications, it is a good suggestion to seek the advice of a dermatologist,” she stated. “Catching potential issues early can help prevent long-term skin damage.”
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Camp additionally suggests avoiding the situation by “the judicious use of electronics that generate heat, like laptops and heated car seats.”
Fox Information Digital reached out to a number of producers for remark.
