Do LCD Monitors Cause Flares

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I can no longer stay online longer than 30 minutes because my face

burns so much and am looking into getting a LCD monitor. I am not in

a position financially to buy one on the offchance it will be OK, so

could anyone who has used a LCD monitor please let me know if it

caused their rosacea to flare.

Thanks,

Anne

[Guest guest]

Anne, I commented on this a few months ago, so see the site's

archives for more details if you're interested. With my sensitive

rosacean face, I would turn red, itch, and then break out on my

cheeks if I was in front of the computer for too long, and my face

would clear within several hours, without doing a thing.

Basically, I came to the personal (not professional) conclusion that

the static electricity naturally generated by a video monitor

attracts the room's microscopic dust particles that falls upon any

portion of my body within the electrostatic field normally generated

by the monitor. So any body part that is sensitive to dust may react

even when it is microscopic. Once away from the computer, all the

dust particles immediately fall off, the source of the irritation is

gone. I read that the electrostatic field is most strong in low

humidity, and my room was always bone dry.

I found three things helped me: keeping the room and computer itself

clean and fiber-free (no rugs or carpeting); insuring the room was

not dry (by modulating my electric heat and watering plants well,

among other tricks); and by not using the computer after washing my

face at the end of the day -- probably because any barrier on my face

(foundation, sunblock, etc) slows down the direct irritation from the

dust.

There are anti-static clips, sprays, and wipes for under $10 each

that might help decrease the electrostatic area around your monitor,

esp if your computer generates an obvious " shock " when you touch it

(mine never did). As you noted, flat monitors or lap tops are not

known to cause reactions for rosaceans -- and fitting with my theory,

they also don't generate electrostatic fields.

Not everyone agrees with me. Some advocate filters and such, which

they say helps. (Most of the filters also have anti-static features.)

I don't believe there's any proof, or reason to evoke electromagnetic

or UV waves (electrostatic field is completely different) to explain

this rosacea-monitor link.

Hope that helps.

Marjorie

Marjorie Lazoff, MD

> Hi,

>

> I can no longer stay online longer than 30 minutes because my face

> burns so much and am looking into getting a LCD monitor. I am not

in

> a position financially to buy one on the offchance it will be OK, so

> could anyone who has used a LCD monitor please let me know if it

> caused their rosacea to flare.

>

> Thanks,

> Anne