With cold weather coming, you may be tempted to break out the electric heated blankets. However, one doctor says you should reconsider. Heated blankets can lead to a permanent itchy rash that won't go away.
According to Dr. Heather Kornmehl, a Texas-based dermatologist, the heated blankets can cause permanent skin damage. They can cause erythema ab igne, a permanent skin rash. The rash is caused by long-term exposure to heat, especially low-level heat. This is why electric heated blankets can be so damaging.
However, you can also get it from a laptop or a heating pad as well. Basically, the heated blankets cause the blood vessels under your skin tob begin to change. It also affects the elastin fibers in your skin. What's so alarming is that the rash is permanent, and yes, it can be itchy.
Heated Blankets Can Cause Itchy Rash
The doctor says, "With the cold weather coming our way, we need to be careful about repeatedly applying prolonged heat to our skin." The condition has "recently resurfaced in medical literature with the use of novel heat sources such as laptops and heated car seats."
Besides a rash, it can also cause skin cancer. While most people will have no symptoms related to the rash, it can cause itching and burning.
Dr. Ji Qi, a dermatologist in Baltimore, Maryland, opens up about the rash. She said, "If you use a laptop, put it on a table or desk instead of your skin. If you must put it on your lap, use a lap desk as a buffer between the laptop and your skin. If you use a heating pad or electric blanket, use the lowest possible setting and or limit duration of use."
Unfortunately, if you used heated blankets and already have the rash, then there's nothing else that you can do besides wait. In milder cases, the rash will fade over several months or longer. However, in more severe cases, it's permanent. So it's best to find some other way to warm yourself this winter besides heated blankets.
