AS temperatures drop and we head into winter, many people will be plugging in their electric heaters.
However, medics have now warned against the dangerous side effects of continuously using the artificial warmers.
A new case report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) revealed the negative impact of direct heat exposure.
Shocking images showed the legs of a 24-year-old woman who had been using the popular gadget.
Doctors said she had presented at the dermatology clinic with a two month history of a rash on her shins.
She didn't have any other symptoms and the rash had been worse on her left leg.
Read more on skin conditions
From IBS to bowel cancer – Dr Zoe Williams answers your questions
My baby boy’s skin was so bad cruel strangers would ask if he was contagious
Dr Binod K Khaitan and Dr Rhea Ahuja at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, said her rash had first appeared in the winter months.
At this time the patient said she had been using an electric heater, with her left leg being closer to it.
From this, her left leg has scattered, hypopigmented, atrophic scars.
However, there was no gangrene and the medics ordered a skin biopsy.
Most read in Health
Signs of brain disease can be seen 9 years before diagnosis – are you at risk?
Millions more eligible to book autumn Covid boosters now as cases surge
I thought my newborn had a cold – I was terrified when he turned blue
Sneaky signs of breast cancer that have nothing to do with lumps
After this, the patient was diagnosed with erythema ab igne.
This condition arises from long-term heat exposure and can occur anywhere on the body.
People can also develop the condition through the use of infrared radiation or the use of heat pads – which many use to ease pain.
Prolonged exposure to the heat can thin the underlying tissue of the skin.
In turn, sores can then develop, with patients sometimes complaining of mild itching or a burning sensation.
The medics added: "The patient was advised to avoid further direct heat exposure.
"At a 3-week follow-up visit, the hyperpigmentation had decreased, but the hypopigmented scars — which may have been from mild burns — persisted."
How to treat it
If you find you have developed erythema ab igne then you should avoid the source of heat exposure – such as the electric heater.
For most people, the area will only be slightly affected and the rash will usually go away on its own within a few months.
Medics at DermNet say that in severe conditions, the likelihood of the marks ever going away is unlikely.
They explained that there is a potential for squamous cell carcinomas to form.
If your skin is not healing or there is a lump growing within the rash then you may have to have a biopsy to rule out cancer.
Read More on The Sun
Martin Lewis shows how anyone on Universal Credit can cut essential bill by £230
LadBaby shares £23 hack to stay warm during the energy crisis
If in doubt, get checked out and book an appointment with your GP.
In an emergency, always call 999.
Source: Read Full Article
