New research states that using a laptop computer on your lap for too long can result in “toasted skin syndrome”, in which skin is damaged by long-term heat exposure.
The article, published in the journal Paediatrics, references a number of cases including one in which a 12-year old child developed a strange discolouration after using his laptop for several hours a day.
“He recognised that the laptop got hot on the left side; however, regardless of that, he did not change its position,” CP reports the article as saying.
The researchers also found that in very drastic cases, the damage to the skin can actually lead to some type of skin cancers. Drs Andreas Arnold and Peter Itin are reported to have found that laptop users should use a carry case or heat shield to protect themselves.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
