It pains me to admit it but I have a skin issue – over the last 6 months I have developed two small red patches, each one about the size of a match head exactly where I hold my mobile phone. One is on my jawline and the other just in front of my ear. At first I wasn’t concerned and actually just thought one was a scratch, but then it didn’t heal and kept peeling and bleeding and this is when I became concerned. Given my pale skin and blue eyes (high risk factors for basal cell carcinomas) I took myself off to the sun cancer clinic for a 6 monthly check and the Doctor took a biopsy. I find out in a couple of weeks if one of the patches is a BCC. But if it isn’t, what is it AND why did both patches appear EXACTLY where I use my phone. Of course I have a few of theories:

Firstly, it may actually be a basal cell carcinoma – this still raises the question as to why the location in particular. I have come up with a possible reason BUT please note, this are just my own thoughts and certainly not proof.

Hot spots on the skin generated by mobile phone use are well documented and in fact (call me paranoid, my partner does!) I avoid using my iphone for long periods as it makes my ear and the left side of my head hot where I hold it. I usually use it on speaker or pick up a land line for long calls. Research conducted in Russia has shown that mobile use can increase the skin temperature at the site by up to 4.7 degrees Celsius.  Professor Olle Johansson a Swedish scientist is concerned that microwave radiation (the frequency used by mobiles) may be altering skin cells. He says, “If microwave radiation is causing the skin to heat up it could also be having other effects – potentially causing abnormalities in cells.”

So, just imagine that this is the case, the hot spots from the phone perhaps combined with years of QLD sun exposure may actually be promoting the development of a BCC in my skin. I also have to note that the red patches have been worse since I took the protective plastic coat and case off my iphone and this may actually lead to it being another issue entirely…

A nickel allergy! Again it has been well documented that mobile phones (this research hasn’t been updated since the introduction of the iphone) containing nickel in the exterior coating can cause a type of contact dermatitis. I call it mob-i-derm (mobile phone induced dermatitis)! If this is the case I have to note, I have never experienced a nickel allergy beforehand despite wearing lots of cheap silver jewelry in the early 90s. However, the fact that it was worse once I removed the case means more direct skin contact and greater potential for an allergy. I did a quick search on Apple products and there are a lot of anecdotal reports of contact dermatitis from ipads and Mac Book Pro computers so at a guess, the iphone may also contain nickel.

Thirdly, and this goes back to hot spots but there are numerous cases of what is called “toasted skin syndrome” which is actually commonly associated with laptop use on bare legs. Ok so this hasn’t been linked with mobile phone use as yet but the similarity of the “hot spots” make it a potential but as yet identified cause. In addition, bringing us back to issues with carcinomas, those with toasted skin syndrome may have an increased risk of developing squamous cell cancer due to prolonged inflammation of the skin. However, at the point of writing this, there have been no identified cases so again, this is just a hypothesis.

Finally, and this is where it gets a bit out there, apparently a percentage of the population are becoming hypersensitive to electronics. The Swedish Association for the Electro HyperSensitive (yes there is such an association!) lists some of the warning signs as:

  • An unnatural warmth or burning sensation in the face.
  • A tingling, stinging or pricking sensation in the face or other areas of the body
  • Dryness of the upper respiratory tract or eye irritation.
  • Swollen mucus membranes resulting in nonviral/bacterial swelling of nose, throat, ear and sinuses.
  • Feeling of impending influenza that never quite breaks out.
  • Headache and nausea.
  • Teeth and jaw pains.
  • Ache in muscles and joints.
  • Cardiac palpitations.

The only symptom that I can relate to is the first one and so I don’t think that I am personally hypersensitive to electronics but with the rise in use of personal electronic gadgets in our lives, it may be more common that we think.

So, I guess after slightly over-thinking this issue the best thing I can do is wait to see the results of my skin biopsy…and use a headset for my phone in the meantime. I am prepared, although somewhat indignantly given the care I have taken of my skin for so long, that the patches may just be the result of sun damage (it is human nature to look for something else to blame…isn’t it???).  I would love to know if anyone else has any thoughts about this issue, ideas about how to manage it or have experienced anything similar.

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