Contact urticaria caused by the Apple Watch – A case report

Abstract

Smart watches are an upcoming trend that provide quick access to smartphone notifications on the wearer’s wrist. Metal portions of the Apple Watch contain small amounts of nickel, however, the interchangeable bands can be made of a variety of different materials including methacrylate polymers and fluoroelastomer synthetic rubber. There are multiple reports in non-peer reviewed literature such as social media and blogs of the Apple Watch causing skin irritation. Here we present a case report of a patient presenting to Wake Forest Baptist Dermatology clinic with a skin rash following use of an Apple Watch with a synthetic rubber watch band. The patient presented with a pruritic erythematous rash distributed in a 2 cm band on the medial flexor aspect of the left wrist that developed after weeks of daily use of an Apple Watch. The presence of a rash focally under the band suggest contact urticaria, irritant contact dermatitis secondary to sweat and friction, or an allergic contact dermatitis process related to the metal of the watch or synthetic rubber of the band. The patient’s report that the rash resolves within hours of removal supports contact urticaria over a contact dermatitis process.