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What are these orange stains that have appeared on my hands overnight?

(470 Posts)
25Avalon Thu 13-Feb-20 11:00:12

This happened first about 3 weeks ago and I thought it was because I had handled a Satsuma. It wouldn't wash off but disappeared over 24 hours. Then I woke up this morning to find dark iodine coloured stains down my index finger and light orange blotches on both palms and on the back of my thumb. I have googled this and nobody seems to know what it is so I am wondering if anyone on gn has come across this?

25Avalon Mon 30-Jun-25 02:47:55

That's an interesting thought chillingwiththegrans. I think there are several factors but this could be one of them. If it's certain foods why don't we get it all the time? Which is why I included stress as a possible catalyst. I see a poster further back did some research that tbis phenomenon is fairly recent - at least in reporting on social media which is also more recent.
It puzzles me that several have been to the doctor who doesn't seem particularly interested in finding the exact cause. Are medics not curious or do they know something we don't?

souhail06 Thu 03-Jul-25 12:46:19

This sounds like carotenemia or lycopenemia, a harmless condition where excess carotenoids (from fruits/vegetables like satsumas, carrots, or tomatoes) deposit in the skin, causing orange or yellowish stains. It’s more noticeable on palms and soles and can persist if you’ve consumed a lot of these foods. Another possibility is bromhidrosis (sweat-related pigment changes) or contact with certain metals/chemicals. If it’s persistent or concerning, consult a doctor to rule out liver or metabolic issues, but it’s likely benign.

souhail06 Thu 03-Jul-25 12:47:23

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Barberphysio Sun 06-Jul-25 19:02:15

Hi fellow freaks. I had this happen to me aroind 10 years ago. Never found an answer and eventually forgot about it.

I have it again today! Woke up with it. This weekend has been very unusual for me and a few things feel like they might be related.

Firstly I have consumed an excessive amount of guinness in the last 48 hours. We're talking 15 pints plus. Could this be related to iron?

Secondly, I was at the black sabbath gig in Birmingham and stood for many hours without a break and ate terrible greasy food all day. By the end of the day My feet were swollen and back was killing me. Could this be circulation related?

Anyway, just adding more data to the pile and will continue to follow this page.

By the way I am 38 year old male, good health, no medication.

Barberphysio Sun 06-Jul-25 19:04:46

Those conditions produce global skin discoloration, not discreet, well defined patches. I dont think that is the answer personally. I believe these are vascular and may occur after prolonged swelling or immobility but hopefully people will keep adding data to the group.

orangeisthenewblack Tue 29-Jul-25 10:15:49

Hello, fellow freaks!
I think my last post was a year or two ago - and it happened again. During stressful times. So I guess it probably correlates with that. Nothing unusual with the food lately, so that's out.

It started as a tiny spot, but today, when it got more stressful due to a book deadline, now it's hello-orangeness-my-old-friend.

25Avalon Tue 29-Jul-25 10:45:47

I’ve been pointing at stress as a catalyst and this bears it out but we still don’t know exactly how it works.

orangeisthenewblack Fri 17-Oct-25 21:21:59

Me again, again stressful times. After only two months.

This has been going on for years now.

Montana22 Mon 20-Oct-25 06:35:29

I woke up recently with some orange, rust-colored stains on my left hand — both on the palm and the back — and I was going to just ignore it. Later that day during my regular massage therapy, my therapist noticed that my skin was extremely sensitive and turning very red, so she stopped and asked if I was feeling okay or if I’d been unwell.

That combination — the strange discoloration and the sudden hypersensitivity — made me think something might be off. When I looked it up, I found that an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can sometimes cause skin sensitivity, and I also read that iron deposits from liver issues can create rusty discoloration.

I also came across an article about hypothyroidism and rust-colored stains on the skin, which really caught my attention — I can share the link here in case it helps anyone else who’s noticed something similar. www.getlabtest.com/news/post/hypothyroidism-rust-colored-stains

I’ve decided to get some blood tests done and will update here once I know more. Honestly, if my therapist hadn’t pointed it out, I probably would have brushed off those orange spots completely.

I just hope I can push my doctor to take this seriously and really help me find an answer — not just send me away like what I’ve read some others have experienced.

Katep2 Sat 01-Nov-25 09:38:47

Hello, did you ever find out what this was please? I have woken up this morning to the exact same thing and found this forum thread while searching google. But worried about it, I have in the last 2 days had a work stressful event & subsequently upset stomach but don’t know if that’s related?

25Avalon Sat 01-Nov-25 17:31:48

Katep2 we have not found out exactly what this is yet. All I can say by way of assurance is that it usually disappears in a couple of days and doesn’t seem to be harmful. Several have been to doctors and still we don’t know. IMO it is a combination of eating certain foods and stress. They seem to be the common denominators. I suspect this does something to our hormones but Idk but it comes out through the hands or feet. Please do not worry.

Wemdubz Sun 01-Feb-26 08:35:00

Hi! Another person here who has woken up looking like they’ve had a self-tanning disaster. I was interested to see the post that mentioned hypothyroidism; I’ve had thyroid illness for many years but never experienced such bad staining as this! It is so weird to wake up like this, I wonder why it doesn’t appear during the day.

Wemdubz Sun 01-Feb-26 08:46:24

Just to add to the above, I am experiencing high stress and difficult emotions currently so going to monitor this.

Thiago19262 Sat 14-Feb-26 14:46:15

Hello everyone. I'm 23, male and from Brazil. I woke up today with this thing and i have no clue as to what it is. My case seems a little different from the majority here.

My orange/yellow patches showed up on my arm and close to my chest, next to my armpit.
I remember waking up in my new apartment (first night sleeping there) in the morning, still half asleep, and feeling this spot itch a little, very lightly. I also remeber feeling a little insect on my hand and trowing it away. This didnt bother me that much and i fell asleep again.
I woke up and just then noticed the marks.

From what i gather from the internet, this might be related to my high cholesterol, (from my latest exams, i miiight have hypercholesterolemia)
Maybe the insect was just a coincidence.
And i also dont recall eating red/orange vegetables. I mean, i always eat my salads, tomatoes and ocasionally a little bit of carrots, but not in a huge ammount.

Thiago19262 Sun 15-Feb-26 16:00:51

I think i found it
Search pseudochromohidrosis
dermnetnz.org/topics/pseudochromhidrosis

And also
journals.lww.com/idoj/fulltext/2017/08010/yellow_pseudochromhidrosis_in_a_young_female.9.aspx

25Avalon Sun 15-Feb-26 20:47:01

That is not what I have. Mine only lasts a couple of days and only affects my hands. Most of us just have it on hands or feet. I do not sweat. I do not have yellow stains on my clothes or in my urine. It only appears occasionally and usually when I have eaten something and/or am suffering stress.

raduluk Mon 23-Feb-26 14:32:51

Same for me here. I started taking vitamin D last week and this morning I woke up with these weird stains on my right hand. Definetely something to do with the vitamin D supplements

Tashar2212 Thu 26-Feb-26 17:31:21

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25Avalon Thu 26-Feb-26 20:11:50

I started this thread 6 years ago when I could find no information on the net. I have now trawled the internet to see if there’s anything new. There are now a lot of postings but still the mystery remains. The most interesting thing I read linked the stains to an underactive thyroid. This apparently reduces the amount of carotene the body can absorb. I’ve long felt there was a link with hormones, stress and the amount of fruit and vegetables eaten. However, I don’t have an underactive thyroid so that’s not the answer in my case.

Reassuringly there were plenty of posts that found the orange stains were harmless.