What happens when warm and delicious become disfigured and baked?
Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Mark Strom has taken to Tiktok to warn people about a little-known but particularly bad side effect of heat exposure that can be caused by heating pads and hot water bottles.
It can be itchy and painful—and in some cases, permanent.
Tiktok user Faith Harrell (@faith_harrell) first set off alarm bells on the app when she showed off the skin on her stomach, which was covered in a dark, irregular pattern.
“Your friendly reminder not to overuse your heating pad on your stomach on the highest setting,” she wrote, garnering 3.9 million views and thousands of interested comments.
Some chimed in with their own horror stories, naming the issue: “I had toasted skin syndrome on my feet all through high school because I was addicted to my heating pad,” one woman said.
Responding to the warning of faith, Dr. Strom broke down how dry skin syndrome occurs.
“Many don’t realize that you actually have to be very careful about chronic heat exposure to your skin,” he said. “Even heat exposure that isn’t causing pain at the time or burning, because long-term heat exposure can lead to permanent redness and scarring.”
This condition is called Erythema Ab Igne, also known as “EAI”, “Toasted Skin Syndrome” or “Fire Spots”.
“This causes permanent net patterns similar to brown, purple or red spots,” Strom explained. “Some of the biggest culprits in causing this are heating pads, like those used to treat things like endometriosis pain.”
Erythema Ab Igne – Latin for “redness from fire” – was once common among bakers, cooks and industrial workers who were chronically exposed to heat for long periods, as well as people who sat in front of a stove in homes their own or by an open fire to warm up.
The condition became less widespread as central heating grew in ubiquity.
Strom noted that in addition to heating pads, modern sources of sunburn include space heaters, electric blankets and laptops.
The classic symptom of EAI is a rash that forms in a “lace-like” pattern; It may start as pink and eventually turn red, purple or brown. EAI may itch, burn or itch and can be difficult to distinguish from rashes caused by skin cancer.
“If you start to notice spotting on your skin, you want to stop heat exposure ASAP, hopefully the spotting will become permanent,” Strom said.
To protect the skin from EAI, experts recommend using a lap desk, setting your heating pad or electric blanket to the lowest setting possible, and limiting use.
Middle-aged women, especially those who are overweight, are disproportionately affected by EAI. Treatment usually involves staying away from the heat source. The rash tends to go away on its own. In rare cases, it can cause pain and increase the risk of skin cancer.
Retinoid cream, derived from vitamin A, may help relieve symptoms, although it is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women.
#Dangerous #side #effect #heating #pads
Image Source : nypost.com