A lot of people have asked this question over time, especially when they discover that it’s a new development on their feet. In this article, we will find out if you need to worry about such development.
So, what are the causes of orange coloration on the bottom of your feet? The causes of orange feet range from calluses, jaundice, carotenemia, anemia, Raymond’s disease, lycopenemia, etc.
Let’s get into the details of top 7 reasons why your feet are orange at the bottom
Table of Contents
Calluses
Callus is a build-up of thickness or hardness on layers of the skin. It can be caused by constant pressure or friction on the feet. It is totally painless and can be ignored. Although, some people try to treat it. But, you shouldn’t really worry about it because it’s harmless.
Other signs of calluses are dry and flaky skin, hard thick skin. Most times, it is caused by putting on tight-fitting shoes, standing for long hours, or walking long distances.
So, when you begin to observe orange coloration on your feet, check for other signs to know if it’s calluses or something else. If it’s calluses, there’s nothing to actually worry about. But, if it makes you feel better, visit a doctor for treatment.
Carotenemia
This is a condition caused by excess consumption of carotene-rich foods, like carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes.
It makes much sense as carrot is orange in color. That means you have eaten carrots continually for weeks before you will begin to notice the orange coloration on your feet.
This is also something you shouldn’t worry about because the color will disappear by the time you stop taking excess carrots. It is a condition that is common among children.
Carotenemia can also stem from conditions that affect the processes of the body system. Some of these conditions are high cholesterol, hypothyroidism, diabetes, kidney conditions, and liver conditions.
What you should know is that these conditions can cause carotenoids to begin to build up in your bloodstream and they can eventually affect the color of your skin. In order to be sure of what is actually the issue with your skin, see a doctor for a diagnosis.
Jaundice
Jaundice is a skin condition whereby the skin, including the bottom of the feet, turns orange-yellow. This is a result of the presence of a great amount of bilirubin in the blood.
Bilirubin is the yellow-orange bile pigment responsible for the orange color of the skin. There are kinds of jaundice – adult and children jaundice. The one that is less harmful is the one present in adults.
Jaundice can be caused by Hemolytic anemias, viruses like Hepatitis A, alcohol, immune disorders, oral contraceptives, gallstones, inflammation of the gallbladder, etc. It is important that one knows the cause of jaundice in order to know the treatment for it.
Knowing the cause will tell whether to worry less or to seek treatment immediately. Jaundice does not have a particular cure. Doctors can only handle it by managing the causes.
The symptoms of jaundice include:
- Fatigue
- Itching of the skin
- Sensitivity to cold temperatures
Jaundice can make you itch your skin nonstop and this can cause coloration of the skin. You should immediately see a doctor when you experience fatigue.
Anemia
Anemia is caused by a lack of enough red blood cells in the blood to circulate adequate oxygen around other body tissues. Anemia is of two kinds – temporary and permanent anemia.
When there’s a deficiency in the amount of red blood cells in the blood, the effects begin to spread to the skin, thereby affecting the color of the skin or feet.
There are different types of anemia which include sickle cell anemia. Anemia can be inborn, that is, passed from parents or it can be acquired.
The causes of anemia span from loss of blood, impaired RBCs – red blood cells, iron deficiency, vitamin deficiency. The ones responsible for discoloration of the skin are deficiency in iron and vitamins.
If you experience anemia as a result of deficiency in vitamins or iron, then you shouldn’t worry much. All you need to do is to take enough vitamin or iron supplements.
If you cannot afford to purchase supplements, then intake of enough fruits rich in vitamins and intake of iron-rich foods will help with the orange color on your skin. You may not really know the cause unless you see a doctor for a diagnosis.
So, when next you hear of ‘anemia’, don’t only think of sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is inherited and if you’re not from parents who are carriers, there’s little chance of you becoming sickled cell.
Yours might be from iron and vitamins deficiency and enough intake of supplements can go a long way in helping your feet color
Raynaud’s disease
This condition causes some areas of the skin, like fingers and toes to feel cold and numb due to cold temperatures or stress.
Raynaud’s disease is a condition where smaller arteries become narrow and limits blood circulation to affected areas. The most likely people to be affected by this disease are women.
Raynaud’s disease affects the ears, nipples, toes, knees, or nose. The symptoms include color changes on the skin, numbness of the skin, cold fingers or toes, stinging pain when the skin is warmed or when there’s relief from stress.
So you can see that the orange color here is not a disease itself but a symptom of a disease. It mostly affects pregnant and menstruating women as they lose blood.
The cause of Raynaud’s disease, sometimes called, Raynaud’s phenomenon is not known. The doctors can only treat the symptoms and not the disease itself.
When your feet are orange in color, it could be a result of Raynaud’s phenomenon. You would know if it comes with other symptoms mentioned here.
So, do well to check for other signs before you make conclusions. Or better still, see a doctor for a diagnosis.
Lycopenemia
This is the one you should not even bother about because it is a harmless skin condition that is caused by excessive intake of red foods which contain lycopene.
This coloration may develop on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet. These foods include tomatoes, red cabbage, chili beans, beets, berries, watermelon, pink grapefruit, apricots, etc.
If you’re a lover of these red foods, then you should expect your feet to be orange at the bottom. It’s as a result of what you eat and this is normal and harmless.
You will not be advised to stop taking those foods, but you only have to accept the color of your feet that way. Since it’s a skin condition, there shouldn’t be cause for alarm.
Because this is a dietary condition just like carotenemia, you can get rid of it by quitting the consumption of these foods.
High consumption of turmeric
Turmeric is an orange-colored, carrot-like plant that is used for many purposes. A lot of people intentionally use it for color and not for food.
I know of a particular culture where women who just put to birth use turmeric to color the bottom of their feet. Whatever reason they do that is not necessary now, but the fact remains that people use turmeric just for the color.
A lot of people eat turmeric as food. It is mixed with other food ingredients to prepare the desired meal.
When this happens, the color pigment of the Turmeric will still mix with your blood, thereby affecting the color of your skin.
So, if you are a high consumer of turmeric in foods over a period of time, expect it to affect the color of your feet.
Another important use of turmeric is for medicinal purposes. Turmeric can be ground with other things to be applied to any part of the body for medicinal reasons.
After application, you might be required to wash it off. If you continue to use it over time, the orange color pigment of the turmeric would be retained on your skin.
If used on the bottom of your foot, that spot may likely become orange in color eventually.
What to do when you observe the bottom of your feet changing to orange
For calluses
Apart from the orange coloration of your feet, check for other symptoms. There are symptoms that would need you to visit the doctor immediately. There are ones that you may decide not to visit the doctor.
When you observe these symptoms, visit the doctor immediately:
- when you experience pain under your feet
- if you are a diabetes patient
- when there’s poor circulation of blood in your body.
Other symptoms like flaky, dry skin may not require seeing a doctor since there are rarely painful and can be managed by you.
For Carotenemia
This can actually be controlled by you. If you are always taking foods high in carotene and you do not like the coloration it’s giving your feet, then reduce or stop the intake of such foods for a while.
When you see changes, you can then begin to eat your carotene foods, but at a moderate rate and amount.
If you cannot stop yourself from taking carotene high foods, maybe they are your best foods and you cannot do without them, then you should see a podiatrist who will find a solution for your feet.
This is only if the orange color is making you uncomfortable and you do not feel confident carrying your feet about.
For jaundice
First, understand the cause of jaundice, is it as a result of a virus, Hemolytic anemia, alcohol intake, oral contraceptives, or inflammation of the gall bladder? You might not actually know if you do not see a doctor.
Jaundice does not have a particular cure, but it can be treated by understanding what causes it. So, if yours is a high intake of alcohol, the cure will be to stop taking alcohol.
If yours is as a result of a virus, the cure will be to treat the virus. It’s important that you visit a doctor when you are not sure what it is.
For anemia
It is also important that you know the cause of your anemia. If it’s a deficiency in vitamins and iron, then you can take vitamin and iron supplements. But, if it’s as a result of blood loss or genetics, then you must immediately see a doctor.
In this very condition, you can not do anything about it. Because a deficiency in iron and vitamins is not a good thing for the entire system of your body. And, if you’re from parents who are sickle cell carriers, you cannot afford not to see a doctor.
For Raynaud’s disease
You can control it according to the symptoms you experience. If it’s coldness of the fingers and toes, you can decide to avoid cold temperatures.
If it’s stress, you avoid being stressed out. But that might not actually cure the orange coloration if you actually want to get rid of it. If you really want to get rid of the orange color on your feet, including other symptoms of Raynaud’s disease, visit a doctor for treatment.
For lycopenemia
It’s not harmful having the orange color on the bottom of your feet. But, if it makes you uncomfortable, then you should reduce the intake of red foods.
You tackle this by tackling the cause. But, if you eventually begin to admire the orange color on the bottom of your feet, then there’s no cause for alarm.
For a high intake of turmeric
You simply stop taking turmeric if you do not like the color it’s creating on the bottom of your feet.
Conclusion
Seeing the development of orange coloration on the bottom of your feet should not really alarm you until you discover the cause.
Before you begin to self-medicate, find out the cause of the development. Most times, you can truly know when you see a doctor or podiatrist. But, if you feel no pain at all, then you shouldn’t worry much unless you do not like it.
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