My fourteen-year-old daughter regularly has purple toes, even in hot weather. We’ve already been to the doctor, but he says it can’t hurt. What is your advice?
Anja
Sepp Mortelmans, podiatrist
The purple discoloration of the toes, whether or not under the influence of the weather, often indicates the presence of the Raynaud’s syndrome.
This is a condition in which the small arteries temporarily cramp, reducing the supply of blood to the underlying tissues. These are often the small blood vessels in the protruding parts of the body, such as fingers and sometimes toes. The cramp never lasts long, but can sometimes be accompanied by pain. In this condition, the fingers and/or toes often discolor from white to blue-purple.
Most of the time, this condition is not serious and if your daughter doesn’t suffer from it, she needn’t worry. The condition may diminish with age.
Do you also have a question? Then ask one of our experts. Always go to your doctor with urgent questions, the experts are not the right person for that. They also do not diagnose. You can find the other conditions here.
Sepp Mortelmans is a podiatrist. He is a specialist in the field of ultrasound and foot complaints as a result of rheumatism. You can ask him questions about foot problems in general and his field in particular.
