You may find yourself using a hot water bottle during the winter months, whether to warm yourself up at night or to soothe pain somewhere on your body.
But an NHS doctor has issued a warning about using hot water bottles. He said excessive use could not only burn the skin but increase your risk of a deadly cancer.
The doctor urged people to limit use of the popular heat source, as well as other tips for staying safe, reported The Mirror.Doctor Suraj Kukadia, who is best known online as Dr Sooj, took to social media platform TikTok to explain more.He said: “Do you know what happens if you use a hot water bottle, you could end up with a rash like this?” He revealed that overusing hot water bottles can result in a rash known as erythema ab igne.The red rash gives the skin the appearance of patchiness or netting. “This is called erythema ab igne, which literally translates to redness from fire,” Dr Sooj continued.“It happens when your skin is chronically exposed to infrared radiation in the form of heat like using a hot water bottle or a heating pad over and over again in the same spot.
Limited heat exposure that isn't enough to cause a direct burn, causes a mild and temporary red rash, that looks like lace work or a fishing net.”He then explained that the rash could put you at risk of skin cancer.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk