[Druetim]

Hey I just found this as only the last week or so I have been getting these same symptoms. They started out barely noticeable, but now my face, throat and even arms and chest have been feeling like they’re sunburned.
I was wondering if anyone remembers if they did something different in their life just before or at the time they started to get these problems with their skin. Maybe there’s a similar thing we all started doing when we first got the symptoms. For me, I had Bowen therapy only a couple of weeks ago for the first time. Maybe this treatment triggered something physically or even psychologically. The life change doesn’t necessarily need to be the same, but maybe the fact that there was a change in our life could trigger these reactions to computer screens.

Another idea that I had was maybe my physical characteristics were playing a part. I know for me, a ginger-haired, blue-eyed, pale-skinned man, that my eyes and skin are very sensitive to most things. For example, I can’t even wear a watch because it gives me a rash and the light from computers, phones, etc. have always given me sore eyes.
Could I ask if anyone else has these same or similar physical characteristics at all? Or maybe the rest of your family do, or your ancestors did. It may be another small piece in the puzzle that helps us figure out what’s going on with our bodies. I noticed that Europe, especially Scandinavia were ahead with realizing that this is a real problem – their nations are mostly made of people who have similar physical characteristics to me, so maybe that’s why they noticed these problems first.
It seems like it is also affecting people who have existing skin problems, so whoever has some kind of skin sensitivity, genetic or otherwise, may have the potential to develop these symptoms.

The last thing I thought of was that when I looked at my face in detail, I noticed that most of the areas that get these symptoms actually have quite large pores. I hadn’t noticed until now. So I wonder if anyone else has noticed this too. Maybe the pores fill with sweat and then dry, creating a really good conductor of electricity across our faces, since sweat is basically water and minerals. Although, I’m no expert, so it might not be scientifically sound.
I moisturized and washed my face and I felt a bit better, but I’m not sure if it is helping too much. It may just be that the coldness of the water soothed my burning skin.

If anyone is still in this thread, I would really like to hear back about if you’ve found anything helpful or if you can answer my questions.

Thanks

[heretohelp]

Hi guys,
I have been following this thread for years and checking if somebody found a solution and finally I found it myself. I logged in to share because I know how difficult it is to live in these times with such a condition.

My problems started when I had to sit with my laptop for many hours daily for about 2 weeks. My skin started to burn, became red and impossible to sooth. I was still working in front of computer because that’s my job. I tried to cover it somehow with facemasks, scarfs etc. but noting helped. From that time my skin wasn’t tolerating almost any lotion. If something was scented I wasn’t even considering buying it at all. In winter my skin was so irritated that even tap water was causing redness and burning. I even went to dermatologist and she didn’t know nothing about this condition – I sent her link to this forum myself. She recommended some lotions which of course didn’t help.

Now it is completely different – first of all monitors don’t burn it, I can use scented lotions and even do peeelings (which of course wasn’t possible before). My solution was:

– washing face twice a day with no sls face gel, I don’t know if you have the products in your countries (I’m from Poland) but I will paste the ingredients so you can find something similar:

Ziaja, Ulga Dla Skóry Wrażliwej, Kremowy żel myjący do twarzy i ciała
Aqua, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium LaurethSulfosuccinate, SodiumCoco-Sulfate, Glycerin, Cocamide DEA, Coco-Glucoside, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, DMDMHydantoin, Sodium Benzoate, Lactic Acid

– Using mixture of the following two in proportion 2(gel):1(ointment) a couple of times a day:

aloe vera gel
Holika Holika, Aloe 99% Soothing Gel

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Nelumbium Speciosum Flower Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Bambusa Vulgaris Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Polyacrylate, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol

vitamin A ointment
Farmina, Retimax 1500
Petrolatum, Aqua, Lanolin, Mineral Oil, Paraffin, Cera Alba, MagnesiumStearate, retinyl palmitate

And the most important i believe is that I started using dermaroller on regular basis and I believe this is what helped the most. After rolling it is very red but the redness disappears and with time skin becomes stronger.

I also take vitamin C everyday.

Hope this is useful for any of you.
Good luck with overcoming this terrible condition, I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

[PCM2]

Thanks “heretohelp” for sharing your experiences and remedies. I hope others following this thread will try out some of your suggestions and see if it works for them. It must’ve taken a lot of time, trial and error on your part to finally come up with this combination of things that worked for you. So it’s great that you were able to share the ‘recipes’ for others to test out. Hopefully it will provide them with the same much-needed relief with this condition that has stumped various medical professionals around the world. 🙂

[heretohelp]

Thank you for your kind words!
I should also mention that together with vitamin C(1g) I take a big dose of vitamin A(12 000), vitamin E(400) and zinc(27mg).

[PCM2]

I’d personally advise (as a non-medical professional but somebody with a scientific background) people seeking relief for this try the topical treatments and try to get adequate levels of key vitamins and minerals from the diet. Readers should remember that this isn’t a medical forum and I’d always recommend they do their own due diligence and perhaps consult a medical professional before considering taking additional supplements. Especially in higher doses.

[Knight Rider]

Hi!

I’m glad that someone has found at least some relief. I will definitely test those Aloe Vera / Vitamin A products by myself.

I have had face burning symptoms over 1.5 years now. It took about a year to understand what is the root cause and what is the problem with me. First I had face burning symptoms when using laptops or lcd computers screens. Then I started to have symptoms also with other devices like smart phones, power transformers, amplifiers, loudspeakers, led lamps, etc. Then It was immediately clear for me that I must be electrically sensitive or hypersensitive person. And I strongly believe that it’s all related to EMF (electromagnetic fields).

I can still work moderately well but sometimes it’s quite challenging because I’m an engineer. I purchased EMF meter and adjusted my screen by using it. Brightness as low as possible is the best way to go. Higher brightness will increase EMF values. But still I get some symptoms, even if my screen is put as far away as possible. My laptop may cause part of the symptoms as well. It’s not possible to say exactly because there are so many EMF sources present at the office environment.

At home I use smart tv as a screen. Laptop is connected with HDMI cable, and I use only corded keyboard and mouse.

[Ycnex]

Hey guys,

I think I might have a solution for some who are affected by this phenomenon. Here’s my story.

SYMPTOMS
I first noticed issues with a monitor back in 2009. My face and ears would get a burning feeling after 10-20 minutes of use. The feeling would get progressively worse. I would even notice slight alterations in the whole way I was feeling, such as slight alterations in my pulse and how my heart feels.

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS THE CAUSE
Initially I thought it was because of the UV Light or something related to that nature of things. I decided to test if that was the cause by turning the monitor sideways (so I would not be exposed to any light) and me sitting right next to it. The symptoms continued.

Moreover, around that time I also bought a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). It was a purchase that was not related to my issues, but curiously enough, I noticed it ALSO caused me similar symptoms as my monitor.

Having made that test it was obvious that these problems were related to something other than the visible light. Which brought me to a conclusion it was an Electromagnetic Field phenomenon.

I tried replacing my monitor with a few others but the issues persisted. Now, due to my work I have to stay at least 8 hours a day in front of the thing, so it was important to find a solution. Having your face and ears burning without any relief was not an ideal situation.

TRYING TO SOLVE IT
Around 2012 I got a great idea. I remembered I never experienced any issues with TVs. So I just bought a TV and started to use it as a monitor. Had absolutely no problems with it! None.

Around 2015 I bought a laptop… had the same problems and gave it away. The problems would be worse the brighter I set the display to be. I believe the problems were not directly related to the light itself, but the fact that the brighter it is, the more power it consumes, thus the greater the Electromagnetic Field.

Using a TV as a monitor may not be ideal in some situations. So I was trying to find a high end monitor that is not causing me issues for years.

SOLUTION
I had the chance to try out many monitors and finally managed to find one that is not causing me any issues at all. The monitor that saved me is Acer Predator XB271HU. Have been using the thing for 5 years without a single symptom.

Words of caution. Around 2018 I decided to get a high end 65 Inch Sony TV. And it caused me the same symptoms. Prior to that I thought all TVs were safe, but it seems not.

CONCLUSION
The symptoms were caused by hypersensitivity to Electromagnetic Fields. Most modern monitors and some TVs are affecting me. It either affects you or it doesn’t. “Acer Predator XB271HU” is not affecting me at all. My TV “Telefunken T40FX” is not affecting me as well.

WHY IT HAPPENS
My guess would be that the reason hides in their schematic and how effective the devices are in utilizing power without emitting this particular Electromagnetic Field.

Hope that helped!

[Knight Rider]

Hi!

Any idea why is this Acer Predator monitor so special that it is not causing any symptoms? I have tried couple of different monitors from HP and Benq and they all are causing symptoms.

[PCM2]

Its very difficult to pinpoint and I’m not entirely convinced everybody who used the XB271HU would find they’re free from these symptoms afterwards if other models cause issues. I like the theory that it could somehow be better shielded and there may well be something to that. But I’m personally a firm believer in a link between some of the factors that cause viewing comfort issues and those that could potentially cause skin flare-ups and discomfort. More specifically, some users have spectral sensitivity to certain monitor backlights which make them uncomfortable to use whilst with others they’re fine. This could potentially cause physiological symptoms beyond just viewing comfort, but it’s very difficult to say.

[brian2063]

Hello everybody,

I also experience a tingling/burning sensation in my mouth area (especially the bottom portion) when I am using my computer or phone. I have read this entire forum and nothing has solved the problem. After endless experiments and research, I think I might have solved the problem, at least for me. I believe what is causing this reaction is migraine. Migraine is typically regarded as merely a type of headache, but that is certainly not the case—the symptoms of a migraine are manifold (one of which is a tingling/burning sensation around the mouth). I get the reaction immediately when I look at a screen. I’m not entirely sure but the burning sensation could really be the dilated blood vessels and inflation that results from a migraine. This reaction caused me to get quite a bit of acne (almost like a rash) exactly where the burning sensation occurred. I have tried pretty much everything to remove the acne around my mouth, and nothing has worked until recently. Nothing has worked because it never really was acne; it was just a byproduct of migraine.

Around two weeks ago, I took Excedrin migraine pills to test out my theory; to my surprise, the burning sensation was cut in half, and the acne almost completely went away (something I previously was only able to achieve with complete avoidance of electronics). So I decided to do more research on Migraine and quickly realized I had most of the other symptoms as well during electronic use: numbness in the left jaw/face area, brain fog/headaches, extremely fatigued eyes, runny nose/nasal congestion, anxiety, depression, difficulty speaking, etc.) I would say my IQ temporarily decreases by 10 – 30 points during prolonged electronic use, unfortunately.

All this has been within a span of 3 weeks maybe, though deep down I have always known for years that I am sensitive to lights. I have a doctor’s appointment soon, and I will know for sure if I have migraine or not (which I am about 96% percent sure I do). What has helped me profusely so far is getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep in complete darkness, since light is a trigger of migraine. I often just stay 12 hours in complete darkness to really alleviate the symptoms, something I do so reluctantly. I must wear sunglasses or some glasses that actually filter out a decent portion of blue light, such as axon optics (not the cheap blue-light-blocking glasses). This is because blue light triggers migraines the most while pure green light is safe (must be pure and the only device available is the allay lamp found on Amazon, though the green light filter I installed on my MacBook from the AppStore seems to help), which likely explains why I only get the burning sensation with electronics and not so much with sunlight. Doing both of these as well as avoiding certain migraine-inducing foods and taking two Excedrin pills per day has made my symptoms much more tolerable.

It might not be a Migraine for some of you, but it certainly is a worthwhile thing to look into. I thought it was EMFs as well and bought a few pieces of clothing on Amazon with silver blended in the fabric, which completely shields EMFS. I did not notice any difference and eliminated that theory. Anyways, I hope this post helps some of you, and I will likely post an update soon with more information on the subject if my theory is indeed correct.

[VitaminD]

I created an account just to share this information:

The problem is that we with a lot of screen time are especially lacking in vitamin D. According to what some of you have said about your lifestyles and work scenarios, I imagine that you do not get proper sunlight or nutrition.

Drink some milk if you have any. Buy some yogurt, and stock up on fortified foods like cereals which contain vitamin D. Fatty fish (salmon) is good, too.

Vitamin D has been linked to headaches and migraines the likes of which were mentioned in the post above mine. It is essential to skin cell growth and repair.

If you’re like me, you’ll see an immediate reduction in the burning sensation you experience. I’m hoping the redness will go soon, too, but I don’t see why it will not.

Try it!

[zero2k]

Hi I haven’t been here in a while but has anyone tried the ASUS eye care monitors? I’m thinking on getting one. I don’t like posting links but just google ASUS eye care monitors. I was reading up on it and it looks as though they are really going into the whole protecting the eyes thing. I’m going to write to them and ask them can they join this forum and see all the different problems we have and maybe they can do something. If they are successful with the monitor to solve our problems I wonder could they do the same with a phone screen? Wouldn’t it be great if they could solve this thing for us? It’s a dream to be able to work in front of a monitor and not feel any effects. If anyone has bought this monitor can they please share their experience with us. Thanks.

I also wanted to say that when I use my monitor or phone with an app called screen dimmer it helps a lot, plus I noticed that I don’t get effected all that much when I’m looking at a screen in daylight. It’s only when I’m looking at the screen when the lights are on that it effects me the most.I still get the dry eyes but I don’t get the swelling around the eyes as much. Hope this helps.

[PCM2]

ASUS ‘Eye Care’ is just a marketing term really. They aren’t innovating there in ways other manufacturers aren’t and many others share the same panels they use with similar features. Flexible Low Blue Light (LBL) settings, flicker-free backlights and ‘rest reminders’ are nothing new or unique. A few manufactures (BenQ and Acer come to mind) also have specific modes for colour blindness, which ‘Eye Care Plus’ from ASUS includes. And Acer includes ‘Low Dimming’ (a low minimum luminance) as a key focus, which ASUS doesn’t really focus on so much.

A more interesting technology is the use of a shifted peak of blue light to less energetic wavelengths as described in our viewing comfort article. Some ASUS Eye Care models include this, but the most notable innovation in this area comes from models which are certified as Eyesafe by TÜV Rheinland, which is also covered in that article. I’m not sure why but ASUS doesn’t have any models certified in this way, but Acer, Gigabyte and HP certainly do. I’m currently reviewing the VG28UQL1A which uses a panel that is used in other ‘Eyesafe’ certified models, but they don’t advertise it as such for whatever reason. Maybe it doesn’t have quite the same level of tuning, but it does still have a shifted peak of blue light at least.

[zero2k]

Well glad you told me that before I had of went and bought one. I’ll deff have a look at the VG28UQL1A. Will you keep me posted on it if you think it’s good? I was also looking into VR as an escape from monitors. I’ve never tried it, have you? I wonder does it have any of the same side effects. I was wondering would it be advanced enough to write code using a VR instead of a monitor. What are your thoughts on that?

[PCM2]

I found the VG28UQL1A perfectly comfortable to use over the 3 weeks or so I used it for. But my eyes and your eyes are different and this is something you’d need to judge for yourself. I don’t have experience with VR systems, it’s not my area of expertise or interest. Personally I haven’t got on with any VR systems I’ve tried (including some Oculus systems) when it comes to a comfortable viewing experience. Not specifically discomfort of the eyes, but an unsettling and slightly dizzying sensation which I find unpleasant. But again, that’s just how I react physiologically and that won’t apply to everyone.

[zero2k]

I must look more into that monitor. Cheers for the info.

[user]

Hello. First of all, I apologize for I am not dominate to English language.I am very happy that I know this forum. And of course, I am sad and sorry that you dont find an effective solution. My problem is that when I go in front of the monitor screen, my face skin gets purulent acne. I have tried many different solutions to solve this problem but they have not been successful. My job is dealing to computer.and I do not want to quit my job because of this problem.On the other hand, this problem bothers me a lot and has bad effective on my appearance of my face skin.if you have or find an effective solution to solve this problem, please share it. Thank you all

[RedFaced]

I’ve been following this thread for a few years now and finally decided to make a post.

Firstly, the symptoms:

Bright, noticeable red flush over the cheeks, and occasionally my chin. Not quite irritated but definitely a strange feeling – I can always tell when it’s happened without even looking. It almost feels as though I have something (like sweat?) covering the area. It always lasts for a while (a few hours at least), despite efforts to clear it. Interestingly enough, the skin around my mouth and on my forehead is never affected.

It’s been happening for a while now, exclusively from laptop screens (multiple different laptops). No other device has given me this reaction. For some context, I am white, and therefore fairly pale; I do not have any skin conditions that I am aware of (my skin is not sensitive, either), however my dad has psoriasis. I haven’t seen any medical professionals about this, but it has been happening since about 2018 – 2019. Sometimes it starts as soon as I go on my laptop, but usually it takes a while to set in – anywhere from 20 or so minutes to a few hours.

I happens in all weather conditions, both at home and school. One commonality in situations that I have noticed (aside from the obvious involvement of a monitor) is that the flush will only happen if I’m in an area that is closed off/has poor ventilation. I’m not sure how to explain this concept specifically but I’ll give some examples.

Once, while at school, the flush was so bright a friend of mine pointed it out and asked me about it. At the time I was sitting up the back of a classroom that had it’s windows and doors closed, with no artificial air circulation going. I was fairly close to my screen.

At home, it happens consistently when I’m using my laptop at my desk. My desk (and laptop) is located in a sort of C-shaped nook, meaning that the heat from the screen really has nowhere to go but my face.

Also, in response to Druetim’s earlier comment – my face currently has the flush, and the affected area has larger (more open) pores than the rest of my face. I’m unsure whether they’re normally that large, and will have to check later.

Solutions?

As mentioned by VitaminD, being outside definitely helps. In my case, being in the sun can make it worse, depending on the temperature and the UV level – however, I am Australian, so this might not be relevant to everyone…

Recently I began using a stand-up desk while on my laptop, and the flush has been happening a lot less. Generally when using the stand-up desk I am further away from my laptop screen, and there is more air around the laptop for the heat to dissipate into.

Also, being outside. Wind helps cool the face immensely, but good ventilation in general has seemed to be an effective prevention tool on my side.

I wrote this in a rush and am about to leave for work, so apologies for any spelling/grammar mistakes.

[PCM2]

Thanks for sharing such detailed information on your symptoms and also some things that have given you some relief, RedFaced. Have you tried using an air purifier in the more enclosed spaces to see if it reduces the symptoms? And they aren’t so common so perhaps this isn’t something you’ve tested, but did any of the laptops you used have OLED screens?

[RedFaced]

I have not tried using an air purifier – usually I just keep my window open, but I may try that. Also yeah, no word on OLED screens – none of my laptops had them.

Also, regarding Druetim’s comment, I checked, and the pores on my cheeks larger in the areas that flush, both while flushed and while normal. Not sure if that means anything, I know nothing at all about skincare, but it’s an interesting coincidence.

Cheers for the fast reply.

Edit: Oh, also, before I forget, another reason I think ventilation is a big issue is because often the flush will only appear on one side of my face. I like to sit parallel to my laptop, and the side facing it often ends up with a flush that is way brighter than the other side. To me this says that it’s most likely related to my proximity to the laptop screen and the ventilation in the room.

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