There are several reports from Apple Watch users who are complaining of developing skin rashes on their wrist after wearing Apple's first wearable device for certain periods of time.
Users are claiming that the rashes developing on their skin are due to irritation from the materials that were used in the construction of the Apple Watch.
The first images of users with rashes on their skin were found on Italian website iSpazio. The images showed visible red patches on the wrist of a user on places where the device's band touches the skin. Another Reddit user revealed that when he called Apple up about a similar skin problem, the call center representative asked questions for about 20 minutes then told him that Apple would get back to the user with a diagnosis.
Apple is seemingly already aware of the issue, as the company has put up a support page on its website dedicated to users who may suffer from such skin reactions after being exposed to specific materials.
Apple wrote that "a great deal of care and research" goes into selecting the materials that will be used in manufacturing the company's devices. Apple added that it went beyond the minimum safeguard requirements in selecting materials for the Apple Watch, as all the materials that would touch the skin of users underwent extensive evaluation.
However, Apple admits that still, a few users may experience allergic reactions to some of the materials used in the Apple Watch. Apple warns that the Apple Watch contains nickel and methacrylates so users who have allergies to these materials are advised to stay away from using the Apple Watch, especially for prolonged periods of time.
According to Apple, nickel can be found on the space gray version of the Apple Watch Sport, on devices from the Apple Watch collection, on the stainless steel components of certain bands and on the magnets of the devices. Methacrylates, on the other hand, can be found on the case of devices from the Apple Watch collection and on the Modern Buckle, Milanese Loop and Leather Loop bands.
A similar problem happened with Fitbit last year, which was an issue that forced the company to recall its Force activity tracker due to users complaining of skin irritation from the wearable device's strap.
The user guide for Apple previously revealed a big warning on possible reactions to the skin of users under the "skin sensitivities" section of the guide, indicating that Apple already probably knew of such an issue well before the device's release to the public.
