AS the weather turns cold and wintry, many people may be looking to warm comforts like electric blankets to make their home extra cosy.
But keeping warm with one this winter could have ramifications for your health, a doctor has warned.
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As well as keeping you warm, heated blankets offer many other benefits, including improved sleep – they can help you progress through the stages of sleep by keeping your body at a consistent temperature.
They may also offer pain relief – the gentle warmth of an electric blanket can help with arthritis, sciatica, and frozen shoulder.
And they could even save you money on your energy bills as they’re more efficient than central heating because they only use enough energy to keep you warm.
But Dr Heather Kornmehl, a Texas-based dermatologist, has warned heated blankets may have some negatives, as they can cause an irreversible rash known as erythema ab igne.
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Erythema ab igne is Latin for ‘redness from fire’ and is also known as toasted skin syndrome.
As the names suggests, it’s a skin condition caused by long-term exposure to heat or infrared radiation.
Symptoms include a net-like pattern of redness and hyperpigmentation, a mild itch or burning sensation and thinning skin.
It can happen to anyone exposed to chronic low-level heat, such as using electric blankets, hot water bottles, heated car seats, and resting a laptop on your legs.
The heat damages the skin’s surface and blood vessels, causing them to expand and become inflamed.
This leads to redness and over time the deposition of chemicals like hemosiderin (a brown molecule that carries iron) and melanin (the dark-coloured molecule that plays a role in skin, hair, and eye colour), turning your skin a reddish-brown.
The skin damage can lead to changes in skin thickness or blistering, and can be permanent.
Addressing her 106,000 followers on TikTok, Dr Kornmehl said: “With the cold weather coming our way, we need to be careful about repeatedly applying prolonged heat to our skin.”
She added: “When I tell my patients not to leave heated blankets or heating pads on your skin or sit next to heaters for prolonged periods of time repeatedly because this can cause a rash known as erythema ab igne which can lead to permanent pigmentary changes in the skin.”
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How to treat erythema ab igne
Experts say the first-line of treatment for erythema ab igne is to stop exposure to the offending heat source.
The hyperpigmentation may start to fade slowly, but it can take several years.
If you use an electric blanket, it’s advised you use it on the lowest heat setting and limit how long you use it.
For those wanting to use a hot water bottle, wrap it in a towel to prevent direct contact with your skin.
And if you use a laptop on your lap, use a lap desk as a buffer between the laptop and your skin.
Complications of erythema ab igne
In rare cases, the rash can lead to the development of skin cancers, such as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or Merkel cell carcinoma.
This can happen decades after the rash first appears.
The National Institutes of Health says if lesions of erythema ab igne continue to evolve or ulcerate, a biopsy should be performed to check for cancer.
Erythema ab igne in studies
A paper published in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine looked at one severe case of erythema ab igne in a 42-year-old man.
He had been consistently using a heating pad for “several hours at a time” to deal with chronic back pain linked to his labour intensive job.
After a physical examination, doctors found a large, hyperpigmented, dark brown, mottled patch spread over his back.
While it wasn’t painful or itchy, he confirmed the area of hyperpigmentation was the area he used the heating pad on, and a diagnosis of erythema ab igne was made.
The paper’s authors said the condition is “uncommon” and hot water bottles and heating pads are common culprits.
Advice for keeping warm
Keeping warm over the winter months can help to prevent colds, flu and more serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia and depression.
As well as heating your home to at least 18C, particularly in the rooms that you regularly use, you should keep your bedroom windows closed at night.
You should also make sure you’re getting all the help that you’re entitled to.
There are grants, benefits and advice available to make your home more energy efficient, improve your heating or help with bills.
Remember that other people, such as older neighbours, friends and family members, may need some extra help over the winter.
Keep in touch with your friends, neighbours and family and ask if they need any practical help, or if they’re feeling unwell.
Make sure they’re stocked up with enough food supplies for a few days, in case they cannot go out.
If they do need to go out in the cold, encourage them to wear shoes with a good grip and a scarf around the mouth to protect them from cold air, and to reduce their risk of chest infections.
Also, make sure they get any prescription medicines before the holiday period starts and if bad weather is forecast.
Some cheap tricks to stay warm at home while keeping costs down include:
- Warm your body not your house – so wear lots of layers made from insulating materials like wool
- Or if need to, just heat one room and stay there as much as you can during the day
- Avoid alcohol – it prevents your blood vessels from constricting, so you lose body heat
- Move around as much as you can – sitting still for long periods reduces circulation
- Open your curtains – the sun still provides warmth, even if it’s cold outside
- Use a draught excluder – line your windows with rubber seals and use DIY excluder at the bottom of your doors
- Move your sofa away from external walls – sitting with your back against an internal wall will instantly feel a lot warmer
- Fit tin foil behind your radiator – it will reflect heat back into the room
- Bleed your radiators – air could be trapped inside, creating cold spots
