Can using a heating pad cause skin discoloration?
Toasted skin syndrome is caused by prolonged heat exposure to your skin, usually from heat sources like laptop batteries, space heaters, or heating pads. These heat sources can cause changes in your skin’s cells and fibers, which can then create a discoloration on your skin.
Can heating pad cause mottled skin?
Chronic heating pad use and warming in front of a wood-burning stove are common causes of erythema ab igne. Use of a laptop computer is a more modern source of this disorder. 2 The discoloration slowly resolves over months to years; however, permanent scarring and hyperpigmentation can occur.
Can a heating pad cause a rash on your back?
Erythema ab igne is a rash characterized by a reticulated pattern of erythema and hyperpigmentation. It is caused by repeated exposure to direct heat or infrared radiation, often from occupational exposure or the use of heating pads.
How do you get rid of erythema IGNE?
TREATMENT OPTIONS The first-line treatment for erythema ab igne is to stop exposure to the offending heat source. The hyperpigmentation may slowly fade over several years. Cosmetic treatments such as laser therapy and depigmenting creams can be tried for persistent hyperpigmentation.
Can heating pads cause internal damage?
Yet, leaving a heating pad on for too long can result in injury from burns and can potentially create a scenario of extreme inflammation in the body as the dilated blood vessels bring pro-inflammatory cells to the area warmed.
How long does toasted skin syndrome take to go away?
While it usually resolves in weeks to months after the removal of the heat source, the rash has a propensity to become permanent, and in some cases, transforms into cutaneous malignancies [5-7]. Both patients and providers must be aware of the association of this rash with repeated heat exposure.
Does erythema ab igne go away?
The mainstay of treatment of erythema ab igne is removal of the offending heat source. Mild cases will resolve over the course of months while more advanced cases can persist for years or remain permanently.
Can heating pads cause skin damage?
Chronic exposure to heat and infrared radiation may result in reticulated erythematous and hyperpigmented skin lesions known as erythema ab igne. This benign condition is asymptomatic and is traditionally associated with stoves or open fires.
Can a heating pad cause damage?
Don’t get hurt! Heating pads can cause severe burns if they get too hot or stay on one body area too long. Electric heating pads use household current to produce heat. Consider a heating pad that either escalates heat settings so you can start at a lower stage and adjust as needed.
Can using a heating pad too much damage your skin?
Prolonged use of hot packs and heating pads, or application of a heat source that is overly hot without a barrier on the skin, can cause contact burns. A rash or burn that takes on a distinctive web-like pattern and appears red or dark is called erythema ab igne.
What does erythema ab igne look like?
Initially, the skin in erythema ab igne patients is often mildly erythematous; however, after repeated heat exposures, the classic blue, purple, or brown reticulated hyperpigmentation develops. See the image below. Red rash resembling lacework or a fishing net on back.
What happens if you overuse a heating pad?