VERY red/multi coloured hands

[tom221]

When it's quite cold my hands go VERY red and sometimes have some blue patches aswell. As you can probably imagine it's not very nice to look at at all, so i find myslef walking around with gloves on 90% of the time, like some freak off x-men lol.

I'm not sure what causes it though, maybe it's the cold but all my other mates hands look fine, just normal. My hands sometimes go very red for no reason at all, even when i'm inside and warm they'll just go red.

My mum thinks it's bad blood circulation (if so it means i'm just stuck with these stupid hands??).

My diet isn't excatly great, like any 16yr olds lol. loads of sweet, chocolate, fizzy drinks, ***** foods (fast food and stuff like sausage sandwhichs. When i'm at work i'll have some sort of meat sandwhich in the morning and maybe a burger/pizza/microwave dinner etc for dinner. Not excatly healthy eh. So i'm wondering wether this may have anything to do with my stupid hands, like blocking off veins/arteries or something???

My new years resolution is to stop eating **** food. I eat quite a bit of fruit and veg but nothing compared to the crap i eat lol. Going to start taking packed lunches to work aswell. Anyway going off topic lol.

So is there anyway i can stop my hands going bright red/blue?? (apart from wearing gloves obviously.)

 

[MCsommerreid]

Not being ghost pale helps.

 

[tom221]

Originally Posted by MCsommerreid

Not being ghost pale helps.


What???

 

[MetroStyles]

Poor circulation? Raynaud's disease? Or just a benign condition, perhaps.

 

[likeitaloud]

Go to a doctor.

 

[tom221]

Originally Posted by likeitaloud

Go to a doctor.


Good idea, might try that one

lol.


I did think about it but what do i say when i get in there, i'll look a right prat, especially if it's the fit medical nurse at my local doctors. Just walk in and say "hi, yeah, my hands are red. How do i make them not red??"
LOL

Will book an appointment monday

 

[MCsommerreid]

Originally Posted by tom221

What???

I get the same thing, because I'm damned near see through. The changes in circulation caused by cold are easier to see when you're pale.

If you aren't of the pale persuasion, high thee to a physician, lest your hands fall off. Or something.

 

[likeitaloud]

You can always become fat, the extra fat layer will make your hands look normal

 

[Crane's]

It's called the first signs of hypothermia and frost bite. As your core temperature lowers your body restricts blood flow to the extremities to keep you alive. The color of your hands is symptomatic of that phenomenon along with the earliest sign of potential frostbite. Learn to dress correctly for the environmental conditions. Way way way to many people don't understand the cold and how it effects the human body.

 

[Matt B]

It's less likely to be frostbite or hypothermia. You are actually giving a quite classic description of Raynaud's phenomenon, as Metrostyles has already mentioned. It is basically an exaggereated vasoconstrictive (narrowing of the diameter of the small blood vessels in fingers and toes) response to cold or sometimes emotional stress. In a way, your Mom is right!

It can occur as a primary, relatively benign condition, or associated with rhematologic diseases such as lupus or scleroderma or sometimes associated with a vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessel walls). There are lots of other causes that are more rare, and if you are otherwise healthy, you should not be on any of the medications that can be causative.

Many people do well with simple avoidance of cold exposure or emotional stress (i.e. wear warm gloves, don't let your core body temp drop, stay calm) but some need medications in more severe cases.

Won't be affected by your diet, but it sounds like you should make changes for other health reasons.

Although it can be relatively benign, it is not "normal." I would suggest an evaluation by an internist or rheumatologist.

M

 

[Crane's]

OK I'll concede that it could be Raynaud's Syndrome though it would be a very rare condition for a 16 year old male. Like I said before I see this kind of thing all the time in the Winter with hunters and construction workers including myself when we act macho instead of being smart. The same symptoms are an indicator of early hypothermia and most people do not know how to dress correctly for any kind of extended cold weather exposure.

In any case the OP should see a Doc instead of discussing this on an internet forum.

 

[Matt B]

Originally Posted by Crane's

In any case the OP should see a Doc instead of discussing this on an internet forum.

I agree. I think the clue though is that he states it sometimes occurs when he is inside, warm and dry.

M

 

[lance konami]

Do your hands look like this?

 

[likeitaloud]

the last stage looks BAD

 

[MCsommerreid]

Assuming what the OP described is like what I get, its a splotchy combination of blue, red, purple, and normal skin tone. Usually its just the back of the hands, and maybe some wrist or arm. Shouldn't be any prolonged or strong numbness.

I think its something that isn't a sign of disaster in really pale individuals, the sort that are borderline translucent, not porcelain/alabaster white. The types where you can see their veins pretty easily, thus the weirdness in circulation that a little cold causes makes it REALLY stand out. If the above is actually whats being talked about, I get the same thing in weather any colder than about 70, unless I'm increasingly more and heavier layers.