Do laptops cause damage on your lap?

Do laptops on your lap cause damage to your health? Can prolonged use of a laptop on the lap damage the fabric permanently? And even prolonged use on the womb can lead to skin cancers and reduce sperm production and fertility?

Can prolonged use of a laptop on the lap damage the fabric permanently? And even prolonged use on the womb can lead to skin cancers and reduce sperm production and fertility?The French doctor Claude Bachmeyer of the Department of Internal Medicine of the Laennec Hospital in Creil observed in one patient a so-called erythema ab igne (EAI).

The EAI is a reddish-brown reticulate rash. It is usually caused by intense heat or heat on the skin. It can, for example, when sitting close to the campfire or the stove (which is why the redness, etc. also „fire stains“ together) may appear with a slight burning sensation on the skin. It often occurs even after placing hot water bottles or heating pads. Bakers and cooks know it as an occupational disease on the face and on the arms ("toasted skin syndrome") when they are exposed to heat mostly between 43 degrees to 47 degrees longer time. If the affected persons are only exposed to the stimuli for a short time, the rash disappears again. But if the effects of heat occur repeatedly over a longer period of time, the lattice-like change of the skin can become stronger and manifest. Similar to sunburn, the skin loses its elasticity and can lead to skin changes such as tumors (Merkel cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma). Furthermore, it should be able to restrict sperm production and fertility on the lap of men by a laptop.

The report was triggered by dr. Bachmeyer whom he in „Letters to the Editor“ in the journal Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (Volume 23, Issue 6), by observing a patient. The 27-year-old patient reported that the red-brown retinal redness after several hours of work with a laptop on his lap for several months. He was advised not to put the laptop on his lap anymore - lo and behold, the rash disappeared.

Meanwhile, it should, according to Dr. Give Bachmeyer five patients with same background of a laptop on the lap and an eai. One reason is probably that the processors and batteries of the devices would be more powerful and therefore radiate more heat. Although degeneration of the tissue is extremely rare, a laptop should still be placed on a pad, preferably on the table or desk. (Thorsten Fischer, Naturopath Osteopathy, 25.02.2010)

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Erythema ab igne (EAI)