Hot water bottle syndrome

[Blue_butterfly_28]

I have been using my hot water bottle for as long as i can remember, over the last year i have developed patchy some darker patches also of skin on my stomach, exactly in the spot where i hold the hot water bottle, i saw my doctor and he said it looked fungal, but fungal treatment does not seem to do anything at all, so im led to beleive it is a burn from the hot water bottle, i have scared myself into reading it can lead to cancer, what do i look out for, if it does start turning into cancer? The skin markings are not very severe and i have not been using my bottle for 2 weeks now and will not in the future, does anyone know of anything that can lessen the appearance of the skin pigmentation? Thank you for any help..

[Sara_MHModerator]

Hello and welcome to the forum. There is a condition that is called "Toasted Skin Syndrome" or technically Erythema ab igne.  It occurs with repeated exposure to heat. Typically, discontinuing the situation of using the heated element, in this case the water bottle, will result in the skin going back to normal in a few months.  More advanced cases may respond somewhat to tretinoin, and 5-fluorouracil cream can help clear epithelial atypia.  I'd continue to work with your doctor but discontinue use of the hot water bottle right away.