What is 'toasted skin syndrome'? Heating pads and blankets can cause skin damage, experts warn

A heated blanket or heating pad might keep you warm in the cold winter months, but experts are warning of a potential danger.

Several heated blanket users have shared their own experiences with the syndrome on social media, displaying discolored patterns on their skin.

One TikTok user, Faith Harrell (@faith_harrell), posted a video of toasted skin syndrome discoloration on her stomach from using a heating pad that plugs in.

"Your friendly reminder to not excessively use your heating pad on your stomach at the highest setting," she wrote in the video, which currently has seven million views.

Harrell told Fox News Digital that the burn marks are "not painful" but do get "super itchy."

Although the mottled skin has not cleared, Harrell said she still sleeps with the heating pad over her clothes against her stomach.

The main cause is long-term exposure to heat "below the threshold for thermal burn," he told Fox News Digital.

"Toasted skin syndrome is unlikely to occur after a single exposure," he said. "It occurs after repeated exposure to the same heat source."

"This occurs when the skin is exposed to heat high enough to dilate blood vessels, but not to the point of causing burns," she told Fox News Digital. 

To prevent toasted skin syndrome, Bowles recommends avoiding direct and prolonged contact with heat sources and using a barrier, like cloth, between skin and heat.

Camp also suggests avoiding the condition through "the judicious use of electronics that generate heat, like laptops and heated car seats."

Fox News Digital reached out to several manufacturers for comment.