Body Temperature: Sweating & Coldness / Question
Published: June 11, 2002
Dear TeenHealthFX,
My hands are always ice-cold and they turn purple- almost black especially in the afternoons. Kids at school give me funny looks and tease me. The only time they warm up is when I am running or doing other heavy exercise.
Signed: Cool Girl With Cold Hands
Dear Cool Girl With Cold Hands,
From your symptoms it sounds like you may have a condition known as Raynaud's disease. This is a circulatory disorder affecting your fingers and occasionally your toes. It occurs when the small arteries that supply them with blood become extra-sensitive to cold and other factors, producing narrowing and sudden spasm of the blood vessel. This reduces the flow of blood to the affected area. Lack of oxygenated blood makes the affected area of skin pale, with a bluish tinge.
To confirm the diagnosis and obtain medical treatment TeenHealthFX advises you to see your doctor. If you do not have a doctor and you live in Northern New Jersey, please call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at (973) 971.6475.
Meanwhile here are some self-help measures: Keep your hands and feet warm and dry. Wear loose-fitting gloves and socks and comfortable, roomy shoes. Keep your whole body warm because sometimes the spasm in the vessels is set off by the body itself becoming cold, even when your hands are protected. If you smoke, give it up, because cigarette smoking causes inadequate circulation to get worse. During very cold weather try to avoid being outdoors as much as you can.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Every two minutes, somewhere in 
