Toasted Skin Syndrome – Do you place your laptop in your lap when you use it? A new health risk has been discovered in individuals that regularly place their laptop in their lap when they use it. Because laptops are known for being extremely warm when they run, setting the laptop on bare skin could eventually lead to a syndrome that has been dubbed “Toasted Skin Syndrome.” The average laptop runs at 125 degrees Fahrenheit and over time the use of the laptop can eat away at the skin, resulting in a sponge patterned burn mark on the leg.
Although it does sound a bit ridiculous, there have been at least ten cases of the condition. In one case, a 12 year old boy developed the patterned discoloration on his left thigh after he played games for a few hours per day, every day, over the course of several months using his laptop. After noticing the pattern, he visited his doctor who determined that it was from setting the hot laptop on his legs every day.
In another case, a Virginia law student went for treatment after discovering the same pattern on her legs. Although doctors were initially stumped, they soon learned that she worked on her computer for six hours every day, which was set on top of her legs. This led them to determine that the laptop use was to blame for the issue.
There have been ten recorded cases in medical journals over the course of the last few years, leading to the naming of the condition.