Reminder: Hot Laptops can Burn You

It’s almost embarrassing to say it, but many people in the United States and Europe are being burned by their laptops. No, the computers aren’t exploding in their users’ face, or spontaneously combusting and catching people on fire. The laptops are burning people because they leave hot laptops on their thighs for so long that the heat can redden, dry, and irritate the skin. Doctors have had to publish their cases of ‘toasted skin syndrome’ and expose the danger that most people would think common sense could avoid. After all, if your laptop is hot – move it, right? Not so fast, say experts, who advise that warning labels be put on laptops to advise their users on how not to burn themselves with a hot computer. Laptops have a microprocessor in them that gets to over 110 degrees. If the laptop’s vents are clogged or blocked because they’re on someone’s leg, the temp can get to over 125.

How to Prevent Laptop Burns

The toasted skin syndrome was first documented in 1994, when laptops first came out, but not until the recent expansion in the use of laptops have people started burning themselves in vast numbers. Usually toasted skin syndrome turns the skin brown and gives it a mottled appearance, and it goes away after awhile, healing like a sunburn. The processor on a laptop has vents at the bottom of the computer. These vents have to be able to have good access to fresh air. There are laptop spacers you can purchase for a few bucks that you put your laptop into, and it always keeps that air gap even if you’re using the laptop on a pillow. If your laptop becomes uncomfortable, make sure you get it away from your skin, even if you’re in the middle of a serious fight on a video game.