Wrist burns from Apple Watch 9

Jeff, you seem to be heavily invested in trying to deny that some Apple Watch users have sustained burns from their watches. Why is that?

In answer to your questions, yes, I have the medical expertise to discern that I sustained a burn and no, I do not have a nickel allergy. The posted photos, here and elsewhere, of many of the wrist lesions show a small darker red spot near the lower right margin of the red circle…just where the sensor light shines. (Mine does, too.) It’s a bit difficult to explain away this oft-seen pattern as a contact dermatitis.

There are a number of people posting here who have had dermatologists diagnose their issue as a burn. No doubt there are large numbers of people who have received the same diagnoses who never have posted online about it.

This unfortunately seems to be a problem Apple does not want to address.

Search <contact dermatitis images> on Google and you’ll see the same images. Consult a dermatologist or your primary care physician.

My wife was having also with rash and a red area on the back of her wrist, come to find out her skin is very sensitive to “ Nickel” her ears turn red with any earrings with Nickel on them and we found out the back of Iwatch has nickel in it.

Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Community.

We want to make sure you reach the right team for help with your device. We recommend that you contact Apple Support directly. Depending on your region, you might be able to contact them here: Get Support.

>>I’m quite certain that the doctors at the Cleveland Clinic don’t expect that their descriptions of dermatitis should be used by a layman to diagnose strangers’ skin issues. <<

The doctors at Cleveland Clinic also don’t expect people to seek help and diagnosis from anonymous users on social media, discussion forums etc., but here they are.

>>I do happen to be a doctor, one who is quite familiar with various types of dermatitis. What I have on my wrist from my Apple Watch is a burn. Even months later of not wearing the watch at all, I still have a faint red circle on my wrist that is tender to the touch.<<

Are you a dermatologist or allergist? What is your doctors diagnosis? What did your doctor prescribe? Did he test you for sensitivity to nickel?

>>Apple has a problem with the sensors on their watch and they are gaslighting us with nonsense because they don’t want to address it.<<

Your proof? You’ve done studies Dr.? None of your test subjects had an allergy to nickel? Of course in your studies you aware >>it is estimated that more than 18 percent of people in North America are allergic to nickel, including 11 million children in the U.S.<<

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/eczema/insider/nickel-allergy

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nickel-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20351529

Nickel is used stainless steel and aluminum and in the hardening process of crystal.

Carmalusa wrote:

My dermatologist said it was a burn, not a dermatitis. She also said she had received a lot of patients with the same problem while wearing Apple Watch.

I respectfully suggest your dermatologist is wrong about the cause. It is very unlikely to be a burn caused by heat (or cold) unless you have an underlying issue which prevented you feeling the hot device, or you chose to ignore the discomfort.

Unless you have a more serious condition which prevents you sensing temperature it is extremely unlikely the problem you have asserted was caused by a thermal burn. Any healthy individual would feel the heat as a warning to remove the device long before it could cause injury or damage like your pictures. Think about it, consider how you can feel hot water or a coffee mug, how long you can maintain that contact without discomfort and the lack injury at tolerable temperatures.

As a secondary point, Apple Watch includes temperature sensing components which will act to prevent overheat damage to the watch or its battery. I have found this activates when I can best describe the case temperature of my watch as "warm not hot" so probably no more than 50C (roughly 120F), slightly warmer than normal body temperature but not too hot to hold. If the watch was hot enough to cause a burn you should feel the heat as a warning to take action.

Apple Watch uses low power LEDs, primarily red and green which are unlikely to have harmful emission spectra outside the visible range which is known to be non-hazardous. The probability of out-of-band UV emissions is vanishingly small, and if they occurred as a defective component it would be unlikely to have a clinical effect with the low power and minimal duty cycle used for these LEDs. If there was such a problem it would involve every Apple Watch sold, impact many more users than the relatively tiny percentage who post here, so safety issues would be raised by regulatory authorities, and Apple would have noticed, investigated, and would have a definitive solution.

I notice you have not responded to the challenge in respect of your claim to be medically qualified. No further comment is appropriate.

Same happened with me with my Series 9, after 5 months of use. I received the same response from Apple: learn how to clean and how to wear you Apple Watch! 🤔

My dermatologist said it was a burn, not a dermatitis. She also said she had received a lot of patients with the same problem while wearing Apple Watch.

>>Skin rashes can be red, inflamed, bumpy as well as dry, itchy or painful. The main cause is dermatitis, which is when your skin reacts to allergens or irritants. Bacteria, viruses, allergens and conditions including eczema, hives, and psoriasis can be the source of skin rashes.<<

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17413-rashes-red-skin

I tend to trust one of the premier hospitals in the world more than comments on the internet. But to each their own. I hope you have a great rest of your day!

Jeff,

I’m quite certain that the doctors at the Cleveland Clinic don’t expect that their descriptions of dermatitis should be used by a layman to diagnose strangers’ skin issues.

I do happen to be a doctor, one who is quite familiar with various types of dermatitis. What I have on my wrist from my Apple Watch is a burn. Even months later of not wearing the watch at all, I still have a faint red circle on my wrist that is tender to the touch. I am very annoyed that I cannot wear my expensive smart watch, much less use all its functionality, because of this issue.

Apple has a problem with the sensors on their watch and they are gaslighting us with nonsense because they don’t want to address it.

You do understand you’re responding to fellow Apple users and Apple is not here? You’re only spamming the people that have responded here. I doubt anyone joined the conversation to have your multiple posts fill their email. 😀

In my opinion, you seem heavily invested in promulgating a falsehood of burns.

That’s quite an accomplishment being a doctor and dedicating your life and professional career to helping others. May I inquire what type of doctor you are? Are you board certified?

>>The posted photos, here and elsewhere, of many of the wrist lesions show a small darker red spot near the lower right margin of the red circle…just where the sensor light shines.<<

Which LED sensor are you referring to? You are aware that the watch can be oriented for either left or right wrist and also for the crown to face your fingers or your elbow? Where exactly is this spot you're referring to?

We’re arriving at different conclusions. I see very few people posting here and even fewer claiming to have a diagnosis. In fact, there isn’t a single image of a diagnosis or a prescription for treatment or anything. Personal information can easily be covered up.

Apple Support Community seems more like a hospital to me. I might go to a hospital and exclaim, Oh my lord this place is full of sick people. There must really be an issue with XYZ because I have it too. Apple Support Community in, my experience, as an over 20 year member, is like the hospital. A casual observer sees people complaining about XYZ and assume the issue is rampant. When it fact the issue is relatively rare.

Statically nickel allergies affect 18% of the population of North America or about 105 million people. When is the last time you saw a post in the discussions about having a nickel allergy? In fact, I challenge to find even one.

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/eczema/insider/nickel-allergy

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nickel-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20351529

What burns did I describe? You’re the only one that has described anything >>The posted photos, here and elsewhere, of many of the wrist lesions show a small darker red spot near the lower right margin of the red circle…just where the sensor light shines<< I’ve made no claims as to type of burns.

Which sensor light? When is it shinning? Which type of burn are you now referring to? Are you now talking UV light? That’s an interesting claim Dr. LED’s emit virtually no UV light.

In fact UV light is very blue/violet in color, just like the color of the sky. Apple Watch contains no blue LED’s. So, exactly how do the UV burns occur?