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Does anyone else get bad skin rashes and burn from the heartbeat sensor from Forerunner 645 Music?

Former Member over 5 years ago

I have been constantly getting it now even though I have swapped hands every other day, and have started wearing it really lose (which loses accuracy while tracking sadly)

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George over 5 years ago in reply to tercier +1

If you've got a rash from using the LED then you have a problem, even if you use it sparingly. If it was my skin, I would be looking to fix that rather than just reducing the frequency. Again, you…

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0 tercier over 5 years ago

Hi !

Intuitively, I think it's not very good for the skin to have a 24/7 LED blinking on the skin.

I think it is not worth it.

I also noticed rashes on the skin. I don't turn it on anymore 24/7.

I also don't use it for running because the accuracy is not good. I have a HR belt.

In short, completely useless technology, only there to have a user-friendly function, to sell watch for mass runners.

Not at all accurate and potentially damaging to the skin.

Try to get other answer here:

https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-935/137902/burn-skin-from-optical-sensor

https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-645-645-m/144108/skin-rash

https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-230-235/207202/skin-burns-from-sensor

https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-945/215754/really-bad-skin-burning

0 tercier over 5 years ago

Hi !

Try to get your answer here:

https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-935/137902/burn-skin-from-optical-sensor

https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-645-645-m/144108/skin-rash

https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-230-235/207202/skin-burns-from-sensor

https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-945/215754/really-bad-skin-burning

0 Carmen_F over 5 years ago

Do you clean your watch properly? Use a toothbrush to reach every part.

0 George over 5 years ago

It's more likely that your problem is caused by an allergy than the LED. There's not enough power in the LED to 'burn' your skin. An allergy, where your own immune system detects - or think it detects - a foreign object and starts destroying cells can look very like a burn, however. In which case you should contact Garmin direct as they take this very seriously. Very few people get allergies from the plastic used by Garmin. You should also check that you have not come into contact with any common allergy-inducing chemicals such as perfumes and perhaps change your cleaning product to something milder.

0 tercier over 5 years ago

Everyone will have a different answer.

0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to tercier

tercier said:
Is this benefit more important than the potential risk that I make my body bear?

Unsubstantiated paranoia. There's not a single document case showing that the light frequency wave omitted by the oHRM LED's causes any harm. If you don't believe me, put on your tin foil cap, grab your cell phone and Google it for yourself.

0 George over 5 years ago in reply to tercier

tercier said:
I think the question is simple: do I benefit from measuring my heart rate all day long?

That's a different question to the one you asked in the title of this thread, which was to do with your (false) assumption that the heart rate sensor is 'burning' you. If you're worried about that presumably you live inside and never see daylight for fear of the sun, which probably gives you more radiation in a few seconds than a Garmin all year.

In answer to your new question, however, measuring your heart rate all day long (and night) doesn't make you fit in itself but having an estimate of how active you've been and how many calories you've burned is very valuable and, speaking for myself, I am massively fitter and healthier as a result.

0 Carmen_F over 5 years ago

Clean it properly! Every gap! I often see pictures of watches that are dirty in the gaps around HR sensor area. Disgusting! No wonder that the people get skin problems.

0 tercier over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

Unsubstantiated paranoia. There's not a single document case showing that the light frequency wave omitted by the oHRM LED's causes any harm. If you don't believe me, put on your tin foil cap, grab your cell phone and Google it for yourself.

Well ... Of course I did some research on google.

Here's what I made, much simpler:
1. Note that the skin is ~red at the location of the LEDs
2. Turn HR off
3. Wait several days / weeks
3. Find that the skin is no longer red
4. Done

It's that simple. No USE case required.

I'm talking about my personal case. I give a personal answer. Everyone has their own judgment. For my part I judge that I do not need this measure during the whole day, but it can be different for another person.

0 tercier over 5 years ago in reply to George

George said:
That's a different question to the one you asked in the title of this thread, which was to do with your (false) assumption that the heart rate sensor is 'burning' you. If you're worried about that presumably you live inside and never see daylight for fear of the sun, which probably gives you more radiation in a few seconds than a Garmin all year.

In answer to your new question, however, measuring your heart rate all day long (and night) doesn't make you fit in itself but having an estimate of how active you've been and how many calories you've burned is very valuable and, speaking for myself, I am massively fitter and healthier as a result.

To clarify, I did not initiate the subject, I answered the question by giving my opinion.

I know that the 24/7 HR measurement can be useful for some people. I'm just talking about deciding whether the usefulness of this measure is greater than the problem it may cause for some. If the skin reacts badly, and in addition, we do not personally find a particular use for this function, we can simply decide to deactivate it. I think it's a personal choice. Everyone does what they want.

For my part, I use it during weeks of training, to see if my rest HR decreases during the tapering phase. Otherwise I turn it off.
In addition, I think that the number of Posts that we find in this forum, or elsewhere, that discusses skin / HR sensor seems to show that the subject is existing.