Pretty disrespectful post - he’s obviously trying to help and as someone who clearly doesn’t know much at all about Apple watches you clearly need the help. Nice.
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Do all Apple Watches after 3 risk burning your skin?
- Thread starter cosmichobo
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Pretty disrespectful post - he’s obviously trying to help and as someone who clearly doesn’t know much at all about Apple watches you clearly need the help. Nice.
Contact dermatitis. Whatever irritation people get is not from an electrical burn. Material and shape/size of the dome on the back of the Apple Watch can exacerbate it, as can seasonal temperatures and the pH of one’s own sweat. But it’s not electrical or radiation causing the irritation.
My observations are fine just where they are, if you don‘t care, fine by me. Don’t ask questions if you aren’t prepared for answers, observations or opinions you don‘t like…
You bring up poor hygiene and misuse as possible causes for burns/rashes without giving specific examples of what those poor hygiene and misuses are, nor do you provide any advice for avoiding such habits. This isn't really helpful and doesn't contribute to this discussion.
The AW since it was first released has always used optical sensors on the back of the AW (the are that touches your skin). The electrical sensor (actually the Digital Crown) was introduced with AW4 for the purpose of ECG. AW SE does not offer ECG functionality due to lack of the electrical sensor (on the crown).
The AW back is made from ceramic/sapphire for models starting with S4 (if memory serves me right), previously (and still on SE models) it is sapphire/nylon composite.
I'm replying to your OP though I have read the entire thread ... I am not questioning your wife's sensitivity but I would strongly suggest that if she develops some reaction when wearing an AW you go and seek medical advice. Burn from AW seems rather unlikely, but without a Dr's diagnosis, who knows?
From your post I take it that your wife has not had any issues since she uses the AW3, correct?
How much detail do you expect in terms of poor hygiene? You obviously don’t have any idea of the many different possibilities to get the underside of your watch (whichever type it is) „dirty“.
So, since it doesn’t seem to be common sense for some: Clean the watch and the band(s) regularly, it helps avoiding skin reactions. I for example do this pretty much every day.
If you are allergic to some materials: Tough luck unfortunately.
And for misuses, I have seen people wearing Apple Watches with broken back covers… do i need to explain that this might cause issues (scratches for example) on your wrist?
My opinion:
1. The word "burn" and "irritation" are two completely different words. It is IMPOSSIBLE, physically, for an Apple Watch to cause a burn because it can not give off that much heat. It is HIGHLY UNLIKELY for an allergic reaction to be caused by the material of the Apple Watch. If there is an allergic reaction to the Apple Watch material, see a dermatologist ASAP.
2. The Apple Watch is the square shape device that shows time and other metrics. The watch band that holds the Apple Watch to the wrist may result in burns depending on the material used, and if it's exposed to a heat source (i.e. stainless steal being exposed to the sun). I will not discuss the bands further.
3. Bad hygiene can cause contact dermatitis, which is a reaction of the skin to a substance. This MAY include:
- Using lotions and creams before putting the watch on the wrist.
- Not completely rinsing off soap from the arms after showering.
- Not removing fragrance on the wrist
- Not cleaning the underside of the watch after a workout or sweating
1. The word "burn" and "irritation" are two completely different words. It is IMPOSSIBLE, physically, for an Apple Watch to cause a burn because it can not give off that much heat. It is HIGHLY UNLIKELY for an allergic reaction to be caused by the material of the Apple Watch. If there is an allergic reaction to the Apple Watch material, see a dermatologist ASAP.
2. The Apple Watch is the square shape device that shows time and other metrics. The watch band that holds the Apple Watch to the wrist may result in burns depending on the material used, and if it's exposed to a heat source (i.e. stainless steal being exposed to the sun). I will not discuss the bands further.
3. Bad hygiene can cause contact dermatitis, which is a reaction of the skin to a substance. This MAY include:
- Using lotions and creams before putting the watch on the wrist.
- Not completely rinsing off soap from the arms after showering.
- Not removing fragrance on the wrist
- Not cleaning the underside of the watch after a workout or sweating
My daughter could not wear the Apple Watch. As much as she wanted to keep it she couldn’t. It caused a tingling sensation and made red marks on her wrist under the watch. She kept it clean, changed the band, etc. I told her just for the heck of it to wear the watch with it turned off. No issues wearing the watch turned off. She returned it and ended up with a Fitbit which doesn’t bother her.
I have no problem with my Apple Watch.
Never had an issue with AW, before the AW I used a Fitbit, and that caused skin irritation for me. Quit badly. Recently someone at work was complaining about irritation from a S7, which looked really bad. It was around the band. I suggested getting the Nike band with all the holes to see if a bit more breathability from the strap helped it.
From this forum:
From Apple's discussion forum:
Again Apple Discussions:
And another:
And now some from Garmin forums:
I am not saying these devices cause burns/irritation on every user, I never have. I also highly doubt that poor hygiene is the issue, as I'm sure there's plenty of slobs out there who do not suffer from this problem, who presumably would be if hygiene was the culprit.
The issue, presumably, is related to the electrical sensors in some way causing the skin of a select range of people to react in a negative manner, as that is the common denominator.
There's also plenty of newspaper articles on this, because - let's bash Apple. Didn't bother posting them too.
Evidently, all Apple watches from 4 onwards, except the first SE, use electrical sensors and may, as such, cause issue for those who this problem can cause issues with.
I'll find a 1st gen SE and make my wife happy.
Peace out.
From Apple's discussion forum:
Again Apple Discussions:
And another:
And now some from Garmin forums:
I am not saying these devices cause burns/irritation on every user, I never have. I also highly doubt that poor hygiene is the issue, as I'm sure there's plenty of slobs out there who do not suffer from this problem, who presumably would be if hygiene was the culprit.
The issue, presumably, is related to the electrical sensors in some way causing the skin of a select range of people to react in a negative manner, as that is the common denominator.
There's also plenty of newspaper articles on this, because - let's bash Apple. Didn't bother posting them too.
Evidently, all Apple watches from 4 onwards, except the first SE, use electrical sensors and may, as such, cause issue for those who this problem can cause issues with.
I'll find a 1st gen SE and make my wife happy.
Peace out.
From this forum:
From Apple's discussion forum:
Again Apple Discussions:
And another:
And now some from Garmin forums:
I am not saying these devices cause burns/irritation on every user, I never have. I also highly doubt that poor hygiene is the issue, as I'm sure there's plenty of slobs out there who do not suffer from this problem, who presumably would be if hygiene was the culprit.
The issue, presumably, is related to the electrical sensors in some way causing the skin of a select range of people to react in a negative manner, as that is the common denominator.
There's also plenty of newspaper articles on this, because - let's bash Apple. Didn't bother posting them too.
Evidently, all Apple watches from 4 onwards, except the first SE, use electrical sensors and may, as such, cause issue for those who this problem can cause issues with.
I'll find a 1st gen SE and make my wife happy.
Peace out.
The Apple Watch does not have an electrical sensor that touches the wrist in that position. Sorry.
None of those pictures are burns. They look like contact dermatitis to me. There are no electric sensors that would make those types of marks. An electrical burn would be a copy of the sensor on the bottom of the watch - none of the pictures are a copy of the sensors.
From this forum:
From Apple's discussion forum:
Again Apple Discussions:
And another:
And now some from Garmin forums:
I am not saying these devices cause burns/irritation on every user, I never have. I also highly doubt that poor hygiene is the issue, as I'm sure there's plenty of slobs out there who do not suffer from this problem, who presumably would be if hygiene was the culprit.
The issue, presumably, is related to the electrical sensors in some way causing the skin of a select range of people to react in a negative manner, as that is the common denominator.
There's also plenty of newspaper articles on this, because - let's bash Apple. Didn't bother posting them too.
Evidently, all Apple watches from 4 onwards, except the first SE, use electrical sensors and may, as such, cause issue for those who this problem can cause issues with.
I'll find a 1st gen SE and make my wife happy.
Peace out.
THIS, as I have stated above, there are no electrical sensors on bottom of AW
showing us photos from other threads/forums doesn't really mean anything, no-one has denied that some people have reactions, for some reason or another, but NOT BURN!.From this forum:
From Apple's discussion forum:
Again Apple Discussions:
And another:
And now some from Garmin forums:
I am not saying these devices cause burns/irritation on every user, I never have. I also highly doubt that poor hygiene is the issue, as I'm sure there's plenty of slobs out there who do not suffer from this problem, who presumably would be if hygiene was the culprit.
The issue, presumably, is related to the electrical sensors in some way causing the skin of a select range of people to react in a negative manner, as that is the common denominator.
There's also plenty of newspaper articles on this, because - let's bash Apple. Didn't bother posting them too.
Evidently, all Apple watches from 4 onwards, except the first SE, use electrical sensors and may, as such, cause issue for those who this problem can cause issues with.
I'll find a 1st gen SE and make my wife happy.
Peace out.
Saying it again, there are no electrical sensor on the bottom of ANY AW, watches with ECG capability have an electrical sensor on the crown that's being used while taking an ECG.
Whatever reaction your wife had, to Garmin only presumably, please go and see a doctor if that re-occurs with an AW, speculating that it is burn does not do anything to fix the cause.
To piggy back on this post, IF an Apple Watch was causing electrical burns, there would also be an exit burn someplace else on the body where the electricity left the body, which is usually on the feet.
(source: https://dermnetnz.org/topics/electrical-burn ; https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-to-know-about-electrical-burns-5212368)
Where's the exit burns 🤔
And here is one other piece of information: the array of the sensors on the back of the AW is made of SAPPHIRE, and sapphire is an INSULATOR. Insulators do not allow electricity to flow… just like whatever is wrapped around cables are insulators…
Well, to be fair, there is an electrode on the backside of Apple Watches with ECG functionality (otherwise it wouldn’t work). But like I said earlier, it‘s just picking up the electrical activity of your body and does NOT send current through you… so no there can‘t be any „burns“ on your wrist because of that, just irritations of your skin.
support.apple.com
Monitor your heart rate with Apple Watch - Apple Support
Learn how Apple Watch measures your heart rate.
Please re-read my first reply to this thread, especially the part where I wrote that this is not an accusation of “ew gross.” Hygiene is a contributing but not determinative factor in contact dermatitis.
As many others have noted, the sensors in the watch are no more “electrical” than a Casio digital watch is “electrical.”
The physics of the watch and its sensors is perfectly understood, in the same sense that the physics of a baseball pitch is. Your claims that the watch’s sensors are responsible for skin irritation are as credible as a suggestion that the Maui wildfire was caused by one of Shohei Ohtani’s fastballs.
Note, of course, that I could easily spin some sort of wild tale, observing that many people who have been hit by a wild pitch subsequently developed a serious burn-like red spot — and even include direct quotes from news media saying that Ohtani is “on fire.” And probably weave in some pre-scientific folklore as supporting evidence.
That’s all you’ve done in this thread.
b&
Any ECG system (AW included) uses a low current 50KHz signal to measure the resistance in the circuit. That's what we see when the trace is stabilizing on the watch screen. So the only time there would be a circuit is when the crown is touched.Well, to be fair, there is an electrode on the backside of Apple Watches with ECG functionality (otherwise it wouldn’t work). But like I said earlier, it‘s just picking up the electrical activity of your body and does NOT send current through you… so no there can‘t be any „burns“ on your wrist because of that, just irritations of your skin.
Monitor your heart rate with Apple Watch - Apple Support
Learn how Apple Watch measures your heart rate.
The AW uses a green LED to both assure that the watch is on the wrist and to do rate measurements. It's possible that there is some sensitivity in some people to the frequency of the light put out by the LED. Grabbing at straws here but it's a possibility.
Funny how people are still googling about Apple Watches causing “burns” on wrists… with each new generation of watch except the ones that only use optical sensors.
I wonder if that’s statistically relevant.
I wonder if that’s statistically relevant.
As a statistician — with an advanced degree in statistics and everything — I can assure you with certainty as close to absolute as it gets that your observation isn’t even remotely statistically relevant.
If you want to make it statistically relevant, you’d have to get an actual random sample. Google searches of forum posts are the antithesis of a random sample.
(There are ways of dealing with data that’s not an ideal random sample. They involve crunching an awful lot of numbers with some seriously hairy math — and, even then, you’re still far better off with a random sample if you can get it. And they’re still not enough to say anything with even the slightest confidence about Google searches of forum posts.)
May I suggest?
If this is still bothering you, see a dermatologist. Treating skin conditions, regardless of the cause, is literally why they spend decades (and hundreds of thousands of dollars) in medical school.
If your dermatologist tells you that it’s anything other than contact dermatitis — and especially if your dermatologist then goes on to win Nobel prizes in medicine and physics — then we’ll believe you.
And if, instead, as I am overwhelmingly confident in expecting, your dermatologist tells you that it’s contact dermatitis, you’ll also get sound medical advice at how to treat the condition and avoid a recurrence.
Cheers,
b&
I just can't believe this is still a thing in 2025.
If I leave any of my wearables on my skin, past 48hrs, I develop itchy, burn-y patches. And then they go away once I remove the device and wash.
None of these devices get hot enough to burn skin, unless you have a runaway battery. You'll REALLY know it then.
But then again, this is the world with which we live:
If I leave any of my wearables on my skin, past 48hrs, I develop itchy, burn-y patches. And then they go away once I remove the device and wash.
None of these devices get hot enough to burn skin, unless you have a runaway battery. You'll REALLY know it then.
But then again, this is the world with which we live:
It's not a burn. Don't call it a burn. The burn police will get you.
It's because you are a dirty person, and the dirt reacts to the metal.
Actually, I believe it's Voodoo.
I kind of love this thread. A lot of "very knowledgeable" people telling other people not to believe their lying eyes. The latest watch update has definitely changed how the sensor on my AWU2 is operating. And it is definitely running hotter these last few days. Even after a re-pair. That said, I don't think the "burn" is caused by the heat of the unit itself. Rather, I think it's the sensor. On my wrist, I do periodically get a "burn" right under one of the sensors where the "knuckle" of my wrist juts out. (And yes, I know what dermatitis is. I know what that feels like, as I get that elsewhere sometimes. And this ain't it. This feels and looks like a slight burn).
My usual approach when this happens is to back off wearing at night for a while until things heal. But it never happened on my older watches (AW1, AW2, AW5).
My usual approach when this happens is to back off wearing at night for a while until things heal. But it never happened on my older watches (AW1, AW2, AW5).
since this seems to happen somewhat frequently to you - have you ever consulted with a dermatologist on this specific issue?
How so? and which sensor?
I have not noticed anything on my U2 ...