By dearJulius.com Team
The laptop has definitely made life easier. Who would not like to work from the comfort of the home and better still, the bed? But the comfort has a catch, which is only revealed after prolonged use. The laptop thigh disorder, a skin disorder caused by sitting with the computer on your lap for a long time, is spreading, especially among youngsters. The skin problem starts with redness and leads to permanent dark patches on the skin.
Deepak Rajput, a student, had mild redness on the skin due to long usage of a laptop, "I used to work on a laptop for long hours and didn't feel I would have problems doing so. One day, I noticed red patches on my thighs and went to see a dermatologist who advised me to place the laptop on a table while using it".
According to experts, when people use laptops for a long time, the temperature of the machine crosses a certain limit, which heats the skin causes redness and itching. "The Laptop Thigh skin disorder starts as redness and irritation after prolonged use as the temperature of the machine increases beyond 40 degrees Celsius. If the problem is not taken care of, mottling of skin takes place, leaving a permanent blot," said Dr Bimal Kanish, a dermatologist at Christian Medical College and Hospital. He treated two such cases in the last two months.
"When the problem started around three to four years ago, I used to get one such case in two months. But the number has doubled now. But even so, the number of people seeking medical attention for the problem is far lesser than the number of people suffering from the condition. Not many laptop users consider the disorder serious enough to warrant medical aid due to lack of awareness. The number of female and male patients are in equal proportion," he said, adding that most patients are youngsters.
Doctors advise users to keep their skin insulated from the laptop. "A towel, a cushion or a three to six inch board should be placed between the thighs and the laptop to avoid skin problems due to heating. Also, whenever the laptop heats up, it can be placed on a table. One can feel the heat coming out of the laptop", said Dr Jastinder K Gill, a dermatologist at SPS Apollo Hospital.
