Who doesn’t love to cosy up with a hot water bottle during the colder months? Hot water bottles are a quick, easy and cost effective way of staying warm in winter – but they can also cause serious injury.

In the UK, there were 5,944 burn injuries from hot water bottles between 2014 and 2023. For example, in 2022, Sharon Portingale sustained third degree burns after taking her hot water bottle to bed. In 2021, Helen Powell was scalded after the hot water bottle she was using to relieve back pain burst.

But burns and scalds aren’t the only type of injuries risked by those who use hot water bottles.

Toasted skin syndrome is also known as erythema ab igne (redness from fire).

Exposure to heat sources, such as hot water bottles, heat pads, space heaters and even laptops, can result in a red fishnet pattern on the skin. This is caused by the dilation of the skin’s small vessels........

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