Two Cases of "Toasted Skin Syndrome"

Erythema ab igne (EAI), or “toasted skin syndrome” is caused by direct, sustained exposure to heat, but is not a burn, reported 2 cases in the Archives of Dermatology.

The first case involved a 67-year-old woman who developed “rusty brown reticulated patches” on the backs of her thighs.  The woman’s dermatologist, Dr. Brian Adams, at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, determined that the markings’ position matched the parts of her legs that would most often be in contact with the heated seats of the patient's car.   

"I would caution people to avoid prolonged, tight juxtapositioning of their lower legs on the hottest setting of the heated seats," Adams said. "Turn down the setting."

The woman had been exposed to the seat heater at its highest setting on 130 trips, each lasting 45 minutes, during the winter. 

In the second case, a 40-year-old woman reported that she had driven an hour-a-day for 4 months with the seat warmer on. 

While toasted skin syndrome is unsightly, it is not serious.  Adams cautioned that because ECI can mimic other, more serious conditions, the greatest risk is unnecessary testing.

Treatment is simply to avoid further contact with the heating source.  

ECI has also been reported on the upper thighs in cases of chronic, direct exposure to laptops.

-Michael Potts