To blurred vision, carpal tunnel syndrome and Attention Deficit Disorder let’s add “toasted skin syndrome” to the list of maladies associated with chronic computer use.
The Associated Press reports that a 12-year-old boy developed the sponge patterned skin discoloration on his left thigh after playing computer games every day for months.
And a mystified Dr. Kimberley Salkey diagnosed the condition after finding her Virginia law student patient spent six hours per day with the 125 degree laptop resting on her legs.
Swiss researchers say that in very rare cases the burns can lead to squamous cell cancer, an aggressive form of skin cancer. The burn used to be associated with bakers and glass blowers and others spending hours a day near a heat source.
You’ll be relieved to know it’s preventable, just put something between your clothes and that fiery laptop.