Feeling toasty?
Doctors have warned using your laptop resting on your lap too regularly can lead to a nasty rash.
The BBC reported the heat generated by the machine that generally escapes from its underside can cause a rash, especially if the laptop is used against bare skin for hours on end.
Although the rash reportedly has no long lasting effects, according to a UK dermatologist, it does provide the laptop user with unsightly mottled thighs that look like they have been sun burnt and bear some resemblance to corned beef.
The journal Pediatrics, reportedly covered the case of a 12 year old whose skin became discoloured after playing PC games for hours on end and suffered from ‘erythema ab igne,' which is commonly found in people who are exposed to heat as part of their work, or persistent elderly users of hot water bottles.
However, ‘toasty skin syndrome' is reportedly being seen on heavy laptop users, as the machines can reach temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius if used for a while. Serious cases can apparently leave the skin darkened.
Dr Bav Shergill, a dermatologist at Brighton University Hospitals NHS Trust, told the BBC people with the rash should not be worried as it is likely to fix itself quickly with no long term problems.
"It's the same condition I used to see as a junior doctor in elderly ladies who spent all day sitting too close to electric bar fires. If you use a laptop like this every day, there could be discolouration, but even this should clear up," he reportedly added.
