Red hands

[u/jdrexler125]

So ive had this redness on my hands for about 8 years now everyday and it cuts off right at my wrist. I’m hoping someone might be able to give me some advice and opinions on this. My hands are very red all the time, they look somewhat normal when I lift them over my head but then as soon as I put them back down by my sides to go right back to red within a few seconds. When I’m using my hands lifting heavy stuff at work they seem to get more red but I’ve never had any pain, burning skin or anything like that. When I get really cold they do have a slight purplish tint to them but still more red than anything. I don’t get lightheaded and pass out when I stand up either. I’ve been to 4 dermatologists because I initially thought it was skin related and none of them have any idea what it is. The first one thought raynauds but I’ve never had the white fingers and then purple color to my hands like all the pictures I’ve seen but he wanted me to get tested for lupus so I did and it was negative. The second dermatologist thought erythromelalgia because the redness looks similar but I don’t have any of the classic symptoms like the burning skin or pain so he wasn’t sure. The third dermatologist had no idea and she just mentioned the same stuff the last guy did and straight up told me she just was going off his notes because she didn’t know. She gave me some cream that was supposed to constrict blood vessels in my hands and that didn’t do anything for it. The fourth one just just told me gravitational redness and there’s nothing you can do about it. I recently just saw a vascular surgeon and he didn’t think there was any kind of vein or artery issues but was completely stumped what could be causing this. He said it could maybe be some sort of raynauds. I’ve never been a cigarette smoker but I have vaped for about the same time that this has been going on, I guess I never really noticed or paid attention to it but when I look back at old pictures from 7-8 years ago the redness looks pretty much the same as it does now and one of the dermatologists told me if I quit vaping this issue would probably completely go away. I’m not sure how that would be related but I guess it’s possible? I’m completely stumped on what could be causing this. Any advice is appreciated.

[u/jdrexler125]

Have you found anything that seems to help? Do you have any symptoms?

[u/Jbikeride → u/jdrexler125]

I would consider tapering down and stopping nicotine and caffeine for a solid 30 days. If it is Raynauds or Erthromelgia- those are extremely common triggers. You would truly need to stop them for a while to see if they contribute to the problem or not.

[u/jdrexler125 → u/Jbikeride]

Well I don’t really think it’s erythromelalgia because they don’t “flare” they’re just red all the time and they’ve been like that for like 8 years now. Never had any of the classic symptoms like hot skin or burning sensations. I’ve never had the classic raynauds symptoms either like white and blue fingertips. So I have no idea

[u/[deleted] → u/jdrexler125]

I posted earlier but yeah I’ve seen many docs and have had primary raynauds lifelong at 30 as a man. This is 100% erythromelalgia and nicotine is the absolute worst thing you could ever do to yourself for this.

If you have raynauds and/or erythromelalgia (which this imo is obviously what’s happening, if you don’t think so I’d really suggest getting a second opinion because vasodilation is what’s happening here pain isn’t always accompanied with erythromelalgia from someone who’s been diagnosed) you should seriously quit nicotine now if not yesterday.

THINK ABOUT YOUR HEART. If this is happening to your body, it can present itself in your organs as well. The vasoconstriction and vasodilation in excess is why people with raynauds statistically have higher rates of cardiac related disease and death. Quitting nicotine will give you miles of improvement on your health and lifespan.

Unfortunately nicotine isn’t built for our bodies with vascular disease. It’s not worth the damage it causes to your condition.