When the weather gets colder, many people turn to heated blankets for comfort and warmth.
However, a doctor warns that a winter product can lead to permanent skin damage.
Dr. Heather Kornmehl, a dermatologist from Texas, told her 106,000 followers in a TikTok that heated blankets can cause an irreversible rash known as erythema ab igne (derived from Latin and translated as “redness by fire”).
Caused by prolonged use of heat directly on the skin, it leads to a red or brown rash with a distinct net-like pattern, as well as itching.
It can happen to anyone exposed to chronic low heat, such as a heated blanket, but also from using a hot water bottle, resting a laptop on your legs or leaning against a radiator.
The heat is usually not enough to cause burns, but it is enough to damage or cause changes to the superficial blood vessels under the skin, as well as the skin’s collagen and elastin protein fibers, leading to the striking appearance and discoloration .
This rash is usually permanent and can leave a lifelong scar.
As colder weather approaches, many people may turn to heated blankets for some comfort
In her TikTok, which has been viewed more than 2.6 million times, Dr. Kornmehl also recommends using heating pads or ‘repeatedly sitting for long periods of time’ next to heating appliances.
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In her TikTok, which has been viewed more than 2.6 million times, Dr. Kornmehl also warns against using heating pads directly on your skin or sitting next to heating appliances for extended periods of time.
She adds in the caption, “With the cold weather heading our way, we need to be careful about repeatedly heating our skin for long periods of time.”
The NIH says that erythema ab igne was historically a condition found in bakers and industrial workers who were exposed to heat for extended periods of time.
But this condition has “recently reemerged in the medical literature with the use of new heat sources such as laptops and heated car seats.”
The experts note that while the condition can be corrected by removing heat exposure, if there is a delay in diagnosis or heat exposure continues, it can lead to permanent pigmentation.
More worrying is that it can develop into various forms of skin cancer.
The condition – also called toasted skin syndrome – is known to be more common in women than men and in patients with chronic pain.
Most people have no associated symptoms, but some may experience itching, burning, or tingling pain.
Dr. Ji Qi, a dermatologist in Baltimore, Maryland, says the best way to prevent erythema ab igne is to stop using the external heat source directly on your body and use something as a buffer.
She advises: ‘If you use a laptop, place it on a table or desk rather than on your skin.
‘If you have to put it on your lap, use a lap desk as a buffer between the laptop and your skin.
An article in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine looks at a severe case of erythema ab igne in a 42-year-old man
‘If you use a heating pad or electric blanket, use the lowest possible setting and/or limit the time of use.’
Dr. Qi says that red skin is an important signal to immediately remove the heat source.
In milder cases of toasted skin syndrome, Dr. Qi notes that the skin changes usually fade, although this may take several months or longer.
However, in more severe cases, the skin changes can be permanent.
Laser therapy and depigmenting creams can be used to help treat the pigmentation.
An article in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine looks at a severe case of erythema ab igne.
A 42-year-old man described how he had used a heating pad continuously for “several hours at a time” to treat chronic back pain associated with his labor-intensive job.
On physical examination, doctors discovered a large, hyperpigmented, dark brown, mottled spot spread across his back.
The man said it wasn’t painful or itchy and he confirmed that the area of hyperpigmentation matched the area where the heating pad was used.
Given this history and the physical findings, a diagnosis of erythema ab igne was made.
The authors of the article note that the condition is “uncommon.” hot water bottles and heating pads are usually the culprits.