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/
j_t_Hobbs wrote:
You can become suddenly allergic to somthing that has not been a problem in the past. But it is HIGHTLY unlikely and rare! Also, you're implying that all these people suddenly became allergic to the same thing???? EXTREMELY unlikely and you know it.
No, really it's not that rare. People aren't born allergic to anything. You become allergic after being exposed to something. How often you have to be exposed can vary. There are other factors that can affect your likelihood of becoming allergic to something and they can change over time. And, you can even stop being allergic to something over time.
There is a design flaw of the watch whereby, over time, it causes irritations via its sensors. Something changes over time and it is a flow in the device. THAT is highly likely vs everybody becoming allergic all of the sudden.
Then why doesn't everyone who wears the watch have this problem?
j_t_Hobbs wrote:
Likewise, every watch doesn’t have the same problem or it takes longer for the rest of the watches to start failing.
You've got that backwards. It's not a question of every watch, it's a question of every watch wearer. The watches are not failing. They are working as designed. And no, every watch wearer does not have this problem. Most will never have this problem. Unfortunately, for the minority of you that do, this is not an Apple problem. It's a medical issue you will need to resolve. Skippy is not going to stop selling peanut butter because some people are allergic to peanuts.
j_t_Hobbs wrote:
“Working as designed” is a cop out and proves nothing. The Okta airbags worked as designed too. Didn’t hurt everyone that had them but the design was flawed….as is this watch design.
So tell Apple what you think. The feedback link has been provided.
I've worn an Apple Watch for years without an issue, including a model 7 which I have worn nearly 24/7 for the past year. Just yesterday and for the first time I felt a burning sensation under the watch, took it off and noticed a painful red patch. The picture shown is from this morning after a night not wearing the watch. The red patch is just as intense as when first noticed except it is now less painful. I searched the web and was led to this discussion group. I am surprised by how widespread this issue appears to be and by Apple's apparent lack of support and concern. My watch is the GPS only version (not cellular).
My wife and I both experience burns on our wrists from the Apple Watch. Not every day, but occasionally. I notice at night the red light is shining from the back of the watch. Here is a picture of my burn.
I can’t wear my watch because it burned me so bad my skin blistered and peeled, I cleaned it and once my wrist was better I put the watch back on and by the end of the day it burned me again. I’ve had my watch over a year and it did this about a month ago, and again a few weeks ago. I’m so upset.
the same has happened to me, it’s damaged a layer of skin which is detached from the skin on my arm. It’s really painful, like a blister. A bit of skin came off today and it’s bleeding. It hurts to move it.
I purchased my first Apple Watch, the Apple 9, 3 weeks ago. A few weeks later, I noticed a mild, circular rash under the watch where the metal touches my wrist. It progressively got worse. I called Apple support today, and the rep had no idea what to do about it. I’m going to try wearing it on my right wrist for a few days, but if it happens again I’m going to have to return it. I really love the watch, but I can’t wear something that burns my skin.
I've had the exact issue. But when I contacted Apple, they told me their engineers determined this was some sort of rash or irritation. Which engineers, I have no idea because the support person stated that Apple (the tech company) only has one engineering department. This was in spite of my doctor confirming this was a burn. This also happened with the Series 7 for me.
I had exactly the same burn. The Apple Store representative wrote in report it is a skin irritation and the other said I might have allergy to nickel. This is a burn not just a skin irritation. And I’m not allergic to any metals.
Sayti wrote:
I had exactly the same burn. The Apple Store representative wrote in report it is a skin irritation and the other said I might have allergy to nickel. This is a burn not just a skin irritation. And I’m not allergic to any metals.
Although I suppose it's possible that the Apple Store rep could be a doctor moonlighting in retail, I would really suggest you see your doctor.
Hi, I have exactly the same. I have decided to switch back to a normal watch as Garmin, Fitbit and Apple all do the same. This is the worst it’s been and is sore. I wore my Apple Watch for over about 3 months before it started. But now it’s swollen too. Not ideal. No more smart watches for me.
Apple Watch 7 cellular user here. I've been experiencing it too lately. After taking off the watch, I searched for it online because it was just too annoying to have it on.
It's not as bad as other people on here, but it's not good. I will stop wearing it at night, which is a shame because I like the sleep tracking.
Omg, I got this…. Out of no where… didn’t change anything and than had a red burn/ rash type of thing appearing… stopped wearing the watch in that wrist, tried it on the other wrist and similar thing started… now have taken the watch off to recover
I’ve had the series 9 for Christmas. Burn on my wrist. Same issue. I’ve moved it to the other wrist and same thing again so I find myself switching between the two because I don’t want the burn to get as bad again and I want to wear my watch. I’ve stopped wearing it overnight too, which is a shame, because it’s one of the reasons I wanted the watch in the first place, but I worry that the excessive wear will cause me more skin issues. Apple do need to acknowledge this. Can’t be that we all have the same freaky skin condition?!
Apple Watch Sensor burns
