Feel like your skin’s frying while using your laptop computer or playing games for an extended time? That "fry" may literally be occurring—as it turns out, laptops can burn, big-time. A condition now known as "toasted skin syndrome” affects laptop computer users and, the Swiss say, may lead to certain types of skin cancers.
In one of the most recent, documented cases, a 12-year-old boy developed blotchy, discolored skin patterns up and down one thigh—the cause: computer game play on a laptop, occurring over several months’ time. A few hours a day can do the trick.
As it turns out, video games aren't the only caues: a law student in Virgina visited docs—to find treatment for a mottled discoloration on her leg. The treating physician was perplexed, until receiving the info that the woman spent roughly six hours per day working, the computer placed directly on her lap. Temps on the underside of a laptop can register at roughly 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
U.S. doctors say that “toasted skin syndrome” from laptops is most likely harmless, in general, but the darkened or mottled skin appearance is permanent. Physicians in Switzerland however now believe that the condition may cause damage possibly leading to skin cancers. Laptop directly on a lap: a no-go.