Recently purchased a cellular Apple Watch series 7 and after a few week of wearing I'm noticing that my wrist is red and begin to burn and blister on the skin where the sensor part sits, no marks where the strap is in contact. Is this a known problem and any solutions?
Hello, this is not an Apple Watch issue. I do not own any Apple products, but came looking for "Apple Watch Wrist Burn" and landed here, because my Garmin watches have done the same thing three times. Replacement of the watch doesn't really help. Like other respondents here, the issue may not arise for a long time, or it may come back after a short while or a long while. Every sports watch with wrist sensors I have investigated has this same problem.
A dermatologist may not be able to tell you more than that you have contact dermatitis. There doesn't seem to be a solution, despite all the manufacturers being aware of the problem.
Advice from multiple sources says to scrupulously clean the sensors and get them completely dry before putting the watch back on (a completely dry) wrist. Don't use perfumed, scented soaps or moisturizers on the wrist. Don't leave the watch on if you are going to have a wet wrist (kind of difficult if you run and sweat...the idea is to remove the watch as soon as possible after a sweaty session).
The basic advice is to keep the back of the watch clean.... There are myriad articles online like this linked one suggesting what to do: https://gadgetsandwearables.com/2023/01/24/fitness-tracker-rash/
I hope this helps. This is a very frustrating problem for all wrist sensor wearers...you never know if you're going to have it happen to you.
I won't be back to reply to comments...as I said, I'm not an Appleite. Good luck/
You’ll need to call Apple support do they can get you speaking with the correct team.
Contact Apple by phone call from Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support
The resolution is between you and Apple. Call them. They will test your watch. After that it is down to your dermatologist.
Some more info for people of later years: Don’t wear it while sleeping, moisturise, and search Senile Purpura
See your doctor, we are not dermatologists.
Don’t wear it overnight if you have skin that sensitive. You don’t want sensors 23 hours a day
Don't wear it, your skin is not suitable.
Same for me with Ultra. Had it 6 mo and no probs. Then started getting burns. Wore on other hand for a week and it resolved. Back on left hand and a week later, burns returned.
Had my SE less than a month and have stopped wearing it due to same issues. After first blistering healed, wore again only for same thing to happen again.
Sore,red,hot itchy blisters that are taking time to heal. Currently have an “open case” with Apple…still no resolution in sight.
Asked many people wearing Apple Watches if they’ve had similar experiences…I seem to be in a minority.
Still,pretty concerning that this is happening to people.
Same thing happened to me. New Apple watch 8 bought first week of Dec. 2022. Wore it every day but only for a couple of nights. Suddenly this red bump appears right under one of the sensors. Only ONE of the sensors. Looks like a perfectly round burn mark (seems to be filled). Does neither hurt nor itch. Called Apple support last week. 2 return calls so far with no new insights. Got an email so far on how to clean the watch….. So far they called it an „allergic reaction“. On what? The underside of the watch is glass or ceramic and the mark was exactly UNDER one of the sensors.
Watch was NOT tight at all.
Stopped wearing it over the weekend. Seems like the mark is slowly fading. Today turned all heart and other readings off and switched wrists. Curious whether the same will happen.
But I bought the thing for exactly those readings.
Next week will be another recall. I am very eager to know what they say…
I have contacted Apple Support and they suggest I see a Doctor. They still do not believe that this is their problem even after all of these posts and pictures reflecting the exact same problem. I’ve have this watch for almost 2 years and all of a sudden I’ve begun to have a problem. It’s a burn from the sensors, not an allergic reaction or from wearing it wrong! They refuse to step up to the problem! I have over 15 Apple devices and this may be the last one! I cannot believe that Apple let-down their customers after so many years!
VFaur wrote:
I highly disagree with your comparison between man-made watches and peanuts. While peanut allergies are a biological condition, a product defect in a watch can have serious consequences for its wearers.
There is no evidence that there is a defect.
Your statement seems to dismiss the concerns of those who have experienced problems with their watches, and implies that they are solely responsible for any issues they encounter. It is important to acknowledge and address product defects to ensure the safety and satisfaction of all customers.
I'm not trying to dismiss the fact that people are having issues. In fact, I'm doing my level best to encourage people to go where they can get actual help - their doctor. I would be doing them a disservice by doing anything else.
I had to take away the Apple Watch from my son (12 now 13) a year ago because of these burns. After the left hand got burned I told him to wear his Apple Watch on his right hand. After the right hand got burned, we had (sad to say) to stop him wearing his Apple Watch SE.
can’t find now the original photos of the burns but I will find them and come back with an update. His both wrists have scars now still, after about a year after not wearing an Apple Watch. Looks suspicious, we’re worried it might be cancerous because does not heal…
Ive been doing a lot of reading about this as I, too, have recently started with red marks under the sensors of my apple watch 7. I also recently started cleaning the back with alcohol swabs. Maybe the alcohol removed a protective coating? Apple suggests cleaning with water only. Maybe a lite soap. Ive had this watch for over a year and this just started. Its a red mark with the sensors clearly visible. It doesnt hurt like a burn tho.
I had an SE for my son and got burned on both hands till we decided that it was enough and gave it away! I believe it’s a problem with the sensitive skin. I as a mature 45 years old man, not too brown but not too white skin either I don’t get burned but I wear my Ultra daytime at my left wrist and at night for sleep tracking at my right hand. Sometime it gets a bit itching, but that’s it for me. My wife has an 4 and did not get burned, only a bit read, but that’s to be expected as she is more white skin than me and has a more sensitive skin than me anyway. But she does not gets burns like our son had. Forgot to tell that even after about a year of not wearing the watch, our son still has something that looks like deep burns… He used to make excess of the activity feature, leaving it too much on which I believe overexposed the skin to the LED light arrays. It will take some years until he will have another one if any…
Overall, I don’t feel Apple has a fault here. Like with anything in this world, if it cause you problems, stop using it, whatever that thing will be. Often this is on medicines paper instructions - for whoever reads those ton of stuff. Probably Apple has something in those “thousands” pages of agreements we use to ignore and just press AGREE, do you remember agreeing on the therms and conditions to use?
Stopped wearing my watch and skin has healed although scarring remains. However,since wearing it on my right wrist I have had NO reaction whatsoever!??! Weird
Apple Watch Sensor burns
