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

Another one bites the rust.

Woke up with this, first I though I had just stained myself with coffee. Started on my hands and on a toe, the next day, it was on different places and bigger, and on my soles as well. It fades during the day and reappears after the night.

We ate no peppers, just some potatoes, meat and eggplant. No baby wipes, no pregnancy. My husband was okay the first day, and then got it the second day. I googled the shit out of it, but nobody knows. It's not nigra, Addison's, diabetes, capilars, carotenoids, etc. I do have hypothyroidism, but that wouldn't explain my husband. We started suspecting the cats. :D

I agree with a previous poster, a case od an alien abduction starts to seem like the most feasible option. :D . Also, Europe here, no tropics.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202205/medium-758530-20220525-093426.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202205/medium-432628-20220525-094634.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202205/medium-448110-20220525-093309.jpg

Pics included.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202206/medium-811204-2022-06-1016-10-165416954562725148739.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202206/medium-369262-2022-06-1016-10-405100058058387195315.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202206/medium-716516-2022-06-1016-11-392090359961057184156.jpg

I found this thread searching for the same issue.
I joined now to report my findings, I know now what causes it for me!
tldr: Stains from Sandalwood resin/oil
I started burning these wood sticks that I bought on aliexpress as incense. They supposedly are sandalwood sticks.
I relized they are the cause because when I burn them I hold the stick with three fingers, those fingers have all been stained.
I tested my hypothesis by holding a stick in the other hand and burning it. It got stained!
So my theory is that most of you have something that you ha dle often that contains staining oils or resins. Henna is a coloring agent that is used to stian skin in a controlled matter, like temporary tattoos.
there are other plants and trees with similar coloring agents and I guess sandalwood is one of them (if I really got sandalwood).
I hope this helps many figure out whats their cause. maybe a wooden statue or incense burning or henna or something else.

this is the packaging btw.

I think I have figured out what has caused it with me as well. I bottled my kombucha the other day and had to move the skoby to a different jar using my right hand. An hour later I noticed the rust colour on my thumb where I had scraped it when I was gardening. This has to be it in my case.

Found this thread because, well you know why. I just noticed these stains about 2 hours ago. They're not dark, they're on my dominant hand and mostly on my thumb, pointer, middle finger and palm. Almost as if I was holding something? I used cleaning/disinfectant wipes the day before. But I've used these several times before in the last few weeks with no stain marks, so idk if they're the cause. I also have recently eaten some bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and kimchi, which aren't usually a staple in my diet. I think I've had these marks before(a few years ago)- at the time I likely chalked it up to my cigarette use, but I no longer smoke cigarettes. I also take iron supplements and my lab tests have indicated in the past that I may have hypothyroidism. For reference, I'm a 23 y/o female, from Canada, honestly not very healthy and haven't regularly taken any meds in a few months. It's strange so many of us are getting these marks, I guess at least they don't seem to cause any harm or anything.

I’ve just had these same stains appear on my right hand - one by the cuticle on my thumb and the other on the inside of my middle finger.

I’m 36/M/UK and I’ve had COVID-19 since the 13th June, which I’m wondering has played a park in it?

Rusty85

I’ve just had these same stains appear on my right hand - one by the cuticle on my thumb and the other on the inside of my middle finger.

I’m 36/M/UK and I’ve had COVID-19 since the 13th June, which I’m wondering has played a park in it?

*Part

And here we go again, a month later again. Nothing out of the ordinary.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202206/medium-121736-20220625-070538.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202206/medium-764039-20220625-070530.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202206/medium-101191-20220625-070511.jpg

I've also made an account specifically to post on this thread after waking up with what seems like iodine stained hands!! What the hell is it!?
Have attached pictures although it's much more prominent in RL.

It’s a puzzle. We think we’ve found an answer (read previous threads) but why it should suddenly occur is a mystery and it’s difficult to find an exact pattern. Isn’t there some medic out there who can do a bit of research?

When I started this thread there was hardly anything on it anywhere and it was quite scary. I look in now and again for updates. I am now wondering does this mainly affect people with white skin? If so why?

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202206/medium-778203-20220614-020202.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202206/medium-667524-20220614-020210.jpg

25Avalon

It’s a puzzle. We think we’ve found an answer (read previous threads) but why it should suddenly occur is a mystery and it’s difficult to find an exact pattern. Isn’t there some medic out there who can do a bit of research?

When I started this thread there was hardly anything on it anywhere and it was quite scary. I look in now and again for updates. I am now wondering does this mainly affect people with white skin? If so why?

Well, I just made an account to add onto this. I'm female, early 20s and half-black. A month ago or so, I also had these stains happen to me. So I don't think the melanin levels of the skin play a role... Though, I'd love to know what it is that causes this. (Attaching images of my own stains for reference below)

Thanks for reporting in Orangeonmyfingers. The more info we can gather on this the better as medics seem as puzzled as we are. From the postings age,, skin colour, and sex are irrelevant.

It is also reassuring to know that you are not alone and that it does not seem to indicate serious illness and disappears within a few days. I’d love a doctor to come on here and give us some comments.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202206/medium-480612-48200372-8f16-4c83-b761-cdd896293cdf.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202206/medium-97437-4b193aee-0119-49d4-a153-97532207185a.jpeg

Adding myself to the orange hands list lol. Woke up about 2 hours ago. Didn’t notice my hands were turning orange until an hour ago. I’m currently on my period so thought “oh it must be blood” but quickly realized how would it have gotten all over my hands like that without me noticing? Tried washing/scrubbing my hands and nothing.

I’m 25/F/Black. This has never happened before. I have been really stressed lately (especially this morning) and my diets not the best. Lots of ordering out/fast food. I’ve been extremely tired lately no matter how much I sleep. I’ll be spending my morning sifting through this thread/google for more answers. Nice to know I’m not alone in this

Welcome aboard orangehandstoo. Hope this thread can throw some light or at least let you know you’re not the only one. Quite a few times we have found stress can be one of the factors when combined with others. Btw not all carotenoids are orange - there is a long list that you may not realise if you want to Google it. Hopefully yours will suddenly disappear in the next few days as it usually does.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202207/medium-828881-20220702-203329.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202207/medium-727696-20220702-203333.jpg

Again.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202207/medium-131755-img20220703090140.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202207/medium-879333-img20220703090127.jpg

I just joined because of this topic too.

For me I was taken into the hospital last week due to heatstroke, or at least heattroke like symptoms, but they couldn't find anything. Are any of you experiencing the same ?

All of you have either lit or held compressed incense or punks of some kind. These stains are from them, it's common to see kids with these orange stained fingers after lighting fireworks using sawdust punks. The fine particles enters your skin and stains it, typically mixing with the oil in your hands or oil present as a binding agent in punks, forming a dye essentially. They can result in skin irritation depending on the severity in the stain and resolve as the skin is renewed and regenerated or the particles exit your skin.

You're welcome, I think I solved at least most of your guys' confusion.

I should also clarify, some of you may also have carotenemia, as I haven't actually viewed every attached image, however for those of you who do not have fully orange extremities but small stains, it is almost certainly from a punk or incense. Carotenemia doesn't express in patches or topical spots but rather as an overall change in pigmentation of the extremities or other body parts, not just a splotch.

What do you mean by punks? I very much doubt if all the people in this thread have had any access to incense.

A punk is really any slow smouldering wooden twig or stick, however in the modern commercial sense, punks are practically the same as incense, but made of sawdust, they're given our alongside fireworks, and this is why I am so familiar with these stains, as they're abundant this time of year. Firework punks are the usual culprit around the 4th of July.

In fact, I'm gonna prove this to you. There's a fireworks stand right down the road from me. I'm gonna go buy some firecrackers so they give me a punk, I will hold it while lit for a few minutes and show you the stain.

Sorry, I haven't touched any punk or incense in 20 years. This has happenes even when I didn't leave the house at all, having my regular routine. I don't think this is it.

Also, I'd like to add that this happens on my feet, which isn't something you use for fireworks. And I've seen a lot of lower extremities stains here. I went to sleep clean and covered, and stains were there in the morning under my pajamas.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202207/medium-327994-20220703-083008.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202207/medium-242715-20220703-082934.jpg

The stand was out of punks, so I went to the next town over and picked one up. I held it, lit, between my thumb and index finger and now both have square stains just like your pictures. I can't say all of you are dealing with this exact substance, but I imagine at least a good chunk of you are dealing with the same thing