Beware: Putting a Laptop on Your Lap Linked to Male Infertility and Skin Discoloration

You'd think with the term laptop you could safely put a laptop on your lap. However according to many studies and a news articles, your lap is the worst place you can put your laptop. Laptops emit heat as they run, and this heat can affect parts of your body in many different ways. For instance, a WebMD news article cited a study in which it was determined that male fertility may be affected by laptop use. The heat emitted from the portable computers has been cited to have a similar effect on men as taking hot baths. News sources advise young boys and men of child rearing age to abstain from or closely monitor the amount of time they spend with a laptop sitting on the lap.

Women are not exempt from the negative effects of putting a computer on the lap. Other articles talk about a condition known as toasted leg syndrome. Toasted legs syndrome is an and usual looking skin condition where the skin on the legs look molted and discolored. The skin turns an unattractive brown color. According to researchers at the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland, a laptop computer causes dermatosis, which is a permanent skin tan. Although rare, in some cases sitting a laptop on your lap for long periods of time can cause skin cancer.

Putting a laptop on your lap is not only bad for your skin, but it's also bad for your computer because it can partially or completely inhibit the exhaust fan, which can lead to overheating.

If you have children, you need to pay special attention, because a child's skin is more sensitive to heat. Many parents today are buying kids mini and notebook laptops without really focusing on where their children are sitting the laptops when they use them.

To prevent any problem, use a a desk or consider using a heat shield like a laptop bag. That way, both men and women can keep themselves free of any negative effects from laptop heat.

http://healthylifestylehabits.org/2010/10/13/leaving-the-laptop-on-your-lap-cause-skin-syndrome-toast/

http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/news/20041208/laptop-computers-may-affect-male-fertility