A laptop causing pigmentation on your thighs… sounds a little dramatic, doesn’t it? But it’s true, laptops can give you pigmentation (brown spots, blotchy skin or freckles) on your thighs, particularly if you sit with your beloved laptop on your bare skin for hours on end!
Quite simply, uneven pigmentation and skin tone can be caused not just by sunshine, but also by prolonged exposure to heat. In the case of your laptop, these heat waves come in the form of electromagnetic radiation.
Leaving a laptop on your thighs can lead to a temperature build-up of a whopping 43-47 degrees! This thermal radiation from your laptop can induce epidermal damage to the superficial blood vessels and lead to vascular dilation (abnormal enlargement of blood vessels). The result is often red, discoloured or blotchy skin – also known as ‘toasted skin syndrome.’
How to avoid your laptop causing pigmentation
Prevention is always better than a cure and so the obvious answer is to use a table… but that defeats the object of a “laptop” right? If curling up on the couch with your computer on your lap is something you love to do, there are other options! Try placing something solid in between your skin and the laptop such as a laptop table, stand or cooling pad.
How to treat pigmentation
Mild changes to the skin caused by laptop heat, if detected early, can heal on their own without treatment. However, it is always advisable to have these looked at by a dermatologist or trained dermal therapist. You may be prescribed a topical inflammatory product, such as Balense Recovery Cream, which forms a nourishing hydro-film on the skin to boost moisture levels reduce redness, irritation and inflammation.
Where pigmentation or uneven skin tone has occurred, Laser Rejuvenation for pigmentation might be a suitable solution. Laser safely and effectively treats pigmentation by targeting and fragmenting the selected imperfection without causing damage to the surrounding skin tissue. A series of three treatments is usually recommended for best results.
These treatments should be accompanied by two weeks of preparation using Balense Illuminate Brightening Serum, Intensive Retinol Serum and Rapid C Concentrate. This applies to treating pigmentation on areas such as the face and décolletage, too.
The Balense Brightening Serum works to inhibit the production of pigmentation and will help fade pigmentation that is already there, while Retinol will encourage skin renewal. Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant and protects against ageing. Post treatment, we recommend daily use of an SPF 50+ on the treatment area.
For more information on the treatment of redness, pigmentation or uneven skin tone contact your local Australian Skin Clinics location.
