Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
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?
I purchased an Apple Watch Series 6 about 1 year ago. About a month ago I started noticing that it gives burns on the wrist, either under the watch itself, or on the opposite side under the metallic piece. As a medical professional I can tell you for sure that these are not allergic reactions. These are definitely burns. They don't appear all the time. I wear my watch on a constant basis (night and day) because I have cardiac problems. I use the watch sensors multiple times a day to measure my EKG, blood O2, heartbeats. I also monitor my sleep patterns and so on. I believe Apple is long overdue to explain themselves how could they allow this, considering the price tag they put on this watch. And please, don't send me to the doctor. I trained for 9 years to be able to differentiate a burn versus a skin allergy.
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…
My recommendation for people with such delicate skin is
Firstly wear it in the other wrist for a while to allow healing
Wash the wrists night and morning.
Moisturise at night
Use a damp facecloth to wash the watch back and strap every night.
Do not wear it at night.
If it persists, stop wearing it and see a doctor, and if you suspect nickel sensitivity or contamination by work or DIY consider either a barrier cream or the plastic backed SE watch.
Apple's recommendation is to contact them.Click here > Contact - Official Apple Support or phone numbers Click here > Contact Apple for support and service - Apple
Almost a year after this comment was left, I just got off of the phone with Apple to be told that they could not find anything wrong with my apple watch and that it's probably an allergy to Nickle. I ordered my watch in March/April of 2023, it is only February of 2024, and this first occurred in January 2024. The watch is not even a year old, and I lowkey wish I still had my FitBit because I wore that 24/7 for 3-4 years straight with no issue.
I have never seen a complaint about SE burning, Plastic back and no O2 sensor.
Better for workouts too.
Turned off the heart monitor no longer burns my skin
I've had the same issue with burns from an Apple Watch Ultra, but I didn't get it with the original Apple Watch Series 1 that it replaced. The burns can really be quite irritating by the evening. My workaround is to never wear the watch at night, and to alternate between the wrists I wear it on, switching every 2-3 days, changing the wrist orientation in settings each time.
I thought this was an isolated allergy issue, until I saw an article about it today.
Don’t wear it at night.
Cleanse skin morning and night with a face cloth and mild skin cleanser.
Wash the watch with the same cloth daily.
Moisturise at night.
Wear it on the other wrist until the skin heals.
Try the other wrist, only wear it during the day, wash wrist and watch morning and night with water . If it still happens, this is not the Watch for your skin.
The SE hardly ever raises these complaints by the way.
It’s most likely you simply got a chemical irritant under the watch and it needs to be washed off. Recommend routinely cleaning it- and your wrist. I know it sounds crazy- I’ve had the same thing a few times and able to trace it back to a residual irritant from earlier in the day or previously. Usually cleaning agents.
I would not recommend epoxy resin for anyone with sensitive skin. It’s also irreversible. There are clear patches available that may be a better alternative, ad well as barrier creams.
Looking at the marks and abrasions on that watch it may have have simply been sensitivity to contamination.
Health & Safety
Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities.
I want to make sure you reach the right team for help with your Watch. I recommend that you stop using it and contact Apple Support directly. Depending on your region, you may be able to reach them here
Click here > Contact - Official Apple Support
or phone numbers
Click here > Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support
We fellow user volunteers are not qualified to answer medical questions but Apple have a specialist team.
Apple are not suggesting you see a dermatologist, Apple Inc do not post here
Safety information including skin sensitivity recommendations can be found in
Important safety information for Apple Watch – Apple Support (UK)
I want to make sure you reach the right team for help with your Watch. I recommend that you contact Apple Support directly. Depending on your region, you may be able to reach them here
Click here > Contact - Official Apple Support
or phone numbers
Click here > Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support
We user volunteers are not qualified to answer medical questions but Apple have a specialist team.
j_t_Hobbs wrote:
Yes. The problem is in the device not being able to handle the scenario it was supposedly designed and marketed to be able to handle.
Cleaning is NOT the answer!
Fixing the design is the answer!
I am sure Apple would like your design change suggestions
Don't make the changes too adventurous, the other 100+ million users with no skin problems may get annoyed.
Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities. Nobody here is qualified to comment despite some amateur medics attempting to do so.
I want to make sure you reach the right team for help with your Watch. I recommend that you contact Apple Support directly. Depending on your region, you may be able to reach them here Click here > Contact - Official Apple Support or phone numbers Click here > Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support
Safety information including skin sensitivity recommendations can be found in
Important safety information for Apple Watch – Apple Support (UK) and Wearing your Apple Watch – Apple Support (UK)
Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities. Nobody here is qualified to comment despite some amateur medics attempting to do so.
I want to make sure you reach the right team for help with your Watch. I recommend that you contact Apple Support directly. Depending on your region, you may be able to reach them here Click here > Contact - Official Apple Support or phone numbers Click here > Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support
Safety information including skin sensitivity recommendations can be found in
Important safety information for Apple Watch – Apple Support (UK) and Wearing your Apple Watch – Apple Support (UK)
(Shamelessly copied from LD150's previous response)
Apple Watch Sensor burns
