Surfaces under heaters will heat up more and faster than the air, especially if they are raised, they can burn if to hot(90s are fine to get air temps in the 80s, surfaces shouldn't be over 100) but main issue is the heat from a single intense point up top isn't going where it needs to, and is drying out the air. Usually you can keep heat in by insulating glass and enclosing most of the top, then using more fixtures with a lower wattage spreads lower intensity heat better to keep air temps up and surface temps down and consistent. Hides will always be the hardest spots to heat from overhead, especially made of thick wood or cork, so UTH are about the only way to get temps up where the snake spends most of it's time.
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