To be worried about discoloured fingers

[thegreylady]

Since last night my fingers keep going a bluey black colour while I am just sitting in my chair. It looks as if I have been handling newsprint (I haven’t) and it washes off! I can’t work out what could be causing it. I am just sitting watching tv.
Any ideas? I have washed my hands half a dozen times, fingers go pink then an hour or so later they start to go grey (especially round the nails).

Are you washing them in warm water? Could they be going blue from cold/poor circulation, and the motion and warmth of washing them brings the colour back?

Does it look like the colour is on the skin, or under it?

Are you sure it’s washing off the grey colour from the surface not the warm water restoring the pink to your fingertips?

Do you have a picture? Where on your hands are you seeing the grey? Are there any changes in temperatures?

How often is it happening?

This sounds like something you need to seek medical attention for.

Are you wearing new jeans?

Sounds like Raynaud’s to me.

Is it like this OP? That's cyanosis- low oxygen saturation. It can be caused by many different things- you need to seek medical advice.

Or as another poster said Raynauds can look like that too. But there's no way of knowing without getting checked

Surely if it was low oxygen it wouldn't go away when op washed their hands?

My guess is either dye from jeans or sofa? Or reynaulds and you're washing your hands in warm water.

Not jeans at all and not as dark as the cyanosis picture. I have just washed them so they are clean and pink again. I don’t think it would wash off if it were internal. When I wash my hands the water is bluey grey. At first I thought it was a Milton Brown hand wash which was a bit elderly. I had just started using it again. I binned it but the discolouration came back though not quite as dark. It was fine in bed and this morning but started again this evening. Thanks for your suggestions folks.

Show us a pic, does sound very strange if you can wash it off,.

Is the plastic on the TV remote deteriorating a bit?

This doesn't make any sense at all.

Op next time it appears wet a tissue or use a wetwipe and rub the area...if the grey goes in the tissue/wet wipe then obviously something is dirtying your skin...but if the wetwipe/tissue stay clean and your skin still goes back to normal then it must be happening inside your fingers

Anxious I tried that and the grey did come off on the wipe. I wanted to do a pic of one dirty and one clean but I couldn’t work out how to do it and dh was in bed. We are both elderly. He thinks it must be the sides of the sofa.. if it happens again tomorrow dh will try to take a pic if I can convince him that ‘press the white dot doesn’t mean press the ‘home’ button and talk to Siri!

What about wearing latex gloves and seeing if they go grey?

How very odd.

How bizarre. It must be a thing causing it. Phone case?

I tried the wetwipe and the Black did come off. I can’t take a photo of my hands without using my hands. Dh is in bed and he thinks it is the sides of the sofa making my hands dirty. I will get him to take a photo of my fingers tomorrow if I can get him to see that ‘press the white dot’ doesn’t mean press the button and talk to Siri! He is 82 and I am 74.

I have done the same post twice! Am I going mad?

It's obviously something you are touching, maybe the side of the chair, a cushion,the tv remote. How old are you..

You haven't recently dyed your hair have you?

Or maybe if you have a dog, not managed to clean him fully after a muddy walk?

Well it’s something your touching, obviously 🙄

The chair. A mug. The remote. Or 1000 other things in your home that none of us can see or suggest as the cause.

*you’re touching

Phone case. Jeans. Remote.

Thank you and I do understand that you can’t see what I have here. I did think of all the obvious things before I posted.
Dh suggested I ask the pharmacy as it wasn’t a problem for the doctors as it washed off. I said I’d ask Mumsnet. We don’t have a dog just three indoor cats and it is over 20 years since I owned a pair of jeans!
This morning my hands are clean and when I get up I’ll give the leather on my chair a really good clean.
Thanks again

Just to add, while it was happening I was sitting watching tv, noticed my hands were black and washed them. Then 20 minutes later it happened again and then at irregular intervals until I posted.