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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?

Kkflow Sat 15-May-21 04:11:02

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Flutterbybye Wed 19-May-21 09:21:43

Just joined as I too have woke for the 3rd time with this. Thought I had been sleep walking and taken my daughters tanning lotion! Anyone found out what it is?

cvmillemve Sun 23-May-21 22:59:23

Kkflow

So I’ve been getting these random spots as well, and I think I may have found something.... it’s from secretions of a stink bug that is commonly found on citrus! We got a bag of satsumas that don’t look in their best shape, and I’m guessing this is what’s causing it. I suppose it could be on any produce. What do we think?? wiki.secretgeek.net/bronze-orange-bug-stains

That’s very interesting! I don’t handle or ingest citrus at all but I do have a lot of house plants. My main issue with this idea as far as my experience goes is that the staining happened in my sleep. Also there was no smell at all and it didn’t hurt. I don’t live where these specific bugs live but we do have a different kind of stink bug and have had them secret orange fluids on me before from handling them. It always washes off right away and has a very distinct scent to it. this might be an explanation for some of the people on this forum though!

Aikaterine Thu 03-Jun-21 15:10:56

I also just registered only because of this! I can't find any information nor did my doctor know what these orange spots could be. I am 1 week after the 1st Pfizer shot, and have felt a collection of side effects from tasting iron and neck pain to pins and needles in the whole body. And now this! Went to bed normal, woke up with orange fingers! I am not scared of it, and I am not against the vaccination, just interesting that so many people have it and nobody knows why...

Science101 Wed 09-Jun-21 18:40:19

For those of you not consuming foods with beta carotene, you may have a fungus called “tinea nigra “. People in the tropics tend to get it, it likes salt. You can get it from wood, soil, vegetation that has it, like gardening without gloves. But you don’t have to live in the tropics to get it

Science101 Wed 09-Jun-21 18:43:13

You can get it if you have very sweaty hands or feet. Using salicylic acid should help, sometimes you’ll need to add a fungal cream too

Science101 Wed 09-Jun-21 19:19:04

You can also get it from fruit that has the fungus like someone who posted about getting it after peeling very ripe bananas (bananas come from the tropics). The actual fungus is called, Hortaea werneckii fungus, but the condition in humans is called TINEA NIGRA.

zieg Thu 24-Jun-21 12:32:01

Hey there! To echo others, woke up today with orange splotches on my left hand. I've had red sauce and pasta for 3 out of my last 4 meals, but that doesn't feel too odd. Fungus from a banana seems unlikely, although I did eat a banana yesterday, because of repeat instances from others. I am 21/M who just moved from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Düsseldorf, Germany a couple of days ago. I could be stress related? I'm right-handed so it's appearance on my left hand makes me think that it isn't something I grabbed. It doesn't seem that anyone else has experienced any other relates symptoms other than the skin discoloration. I've been vaxxed with Moderna since late April, but this thread has existed much before the onset of vaccine distribution, leading me to think that there is no correlation.

I find it odd that it has discolored part of my left thumbnail as well. Not the whole thing, just a little bit. I feel like I would've noticed this before, but the fact that it isn't the whole nail puzzles me. Will keep y'all posted on any changes or new developments.

zieg Thu 24-Jun-21 12:35:00

Forgot to attach pictures! The discoloration is more apparent in person, as others have stated.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 24-Jun-21 12:41:22

I’ve had orange stains on my towels.

DH sorting out his tomatoes and not thoroughly washing his hands?

zieg Thu 24-Jun-21 12:54:06

Wanted to add one more thing. Just cut my left thumbnail to see of the orange hue was there and, lo and behold, I was. Untainted right thumb for comparison.

zieg Sun 27-Jun-21 22:23:28

So it's been three days, and the orange splotches have more or less disappeared. This leads me to believe it was just a fun lil bodily reaction to high stress and anxiety. I'm really not sure what else it could have been.

Fennel Mon 28-Jun-21 20:29:32

I think this is about the most fascinating thread on Gransnet!
@Kkflow - I agree about secretions from stinkbugs. I've had discoloration from that too.
I've had the orange stain on my hands overnight occasionally but it's always shortlived. I've looked up on Google over the years and all I've found on palms of hands was liver problems. But that was red flushes not orange.
Could it be connected with Covid?

Ali08 Tue 29-Jun-21 08:37:40

Did you find out what this was?

Ali08 Tue 29-Jun-21 08:43:09

Sorry, I just saw your updatd and cant remember how to delete/edit my last comment!
It looks like pollen - have you touched any flowers or plants that may have temporarily dyed your skin?
Or have you touched anything rusty?
It does look vaguely familiar to me, but I really can't think why!

TrendyNannie6 Tue 29-Jun-21 08:44:48

The only time I’ve had that was years ago when used a fake tan

25Avalon Tue 29-Jun-21 09:02:40

25Avalon

Thanks Cassiesierra18 I have followed your posting and see there is not just something called carotenemia but the similar lycopenemia from eating tomatoes, beetroot, and red peppers amongst others. Looking back over my previous posts I see I remarked on eating raw Romano sweet red peppers in a salad and this could be what caused it. Apparently you only need a small quantity and as I don’t eat salad every day in the winter this would explain why it went away after a few days and came back sporadically. I haven’t had Romano peppers during lockdown and no orange hands.

Other posters may like to think back to what they have eaten.

This is an earlier post on this thread that I am reposting as I am convinced that in my case it was lycopenemia. I have eaten no red Romano peppers chopped up in salads and I have had no further reoccurances. It is not an external stain from something you have handled. It will not wash or scrub off. It is from something eaten. Chilli sauce could well be a culprit as it is in concentrated form and chillies are usually red. I shall be careful of it.

3dognight Tue 29-Jun-21 09:21:35

I get these stains too, it seems to get into every crevice of my chewed finger nails and onto my palms. It always appears after scraping new potatoes and pruning tomatoes.

Shropshirelass Tue 29-Jun-21 09:23:35

Do you have lilies? The pollen stains terribly.

Lin52 Tue 29-Jun-21 11:11:02

Please do not scrub your hands with bleach. Very dangerous. Could tell you an awful story about someone who did this, with disastrous consequences.
As others advise, go see your GP, more reliable than Google,

25Avalon Tue 29-Jun-21 12:12:38

For God’s sake do not scrub your hands with bleach. It will NOT remove the stain as it is NOT a stain. It is NOT lily pollen or the stain from scrapping potatoes. It is caused by something internal, most likely that you have eaten. Seeing the GP is not particularly helpful either as few GP’s know what it is.

Read up on carotenemia and lycopenemia. There you will find the most likely answer. I googled and researched for months. Read this thread from the beginning especially Cassiesierra18’s posting.

Mechent Sun 04-Jul-21 20:14:51

Woah!! Look at my feet! Have the same thing on my fingers but my feet are insanely rusty colored! Read all the posts on here and none of these fit within the reasons why I would have this. So strange!

25Avalon Sun 04-Jul-21 20:37:04

Mechent it is a weird thing and so difficult to find any info. I seem to remember it could be to do with being pregnant as well. I too old for that don’t know about you.

Mechent Sun 04-Jul-21 21:38:19

25Avalon it is so strange? I read somewhere it may be too much vitaman A in your system? What do you think?

Mechent Sun 04-Jul-21 23:12:44

It could possible be Schamberg's disease?The condition is caused by inflammation of capillaries near the surface of skin and subsequent leaking of red blood cells into surrounding tissues. As the red blood cells break down and get mostly resorbed, some of the iron released by the red blood cells remains in the skin and causes the characteristic rust-colored appearance. The cause of the capillary inflammation is usually unknown.