What causes skin to turn orange

Carotenaemia is usually caused by excessive intake of carotenoids, such as β-carotene, which are converted to vitamin A (retinol) in the body and contribute to normal skin colour. Carotenoids are found in the normal diet, the source being orange-coloured fruit and vegetables.

Even though carotenemia may look shocking, Hsiao says it’s actually totally harmless. However, that doesn’t mean that orange skin is a symptom you should totally overlook. One thing to consider if you see your skin turning orange or yellow is whether or not you actually have been increasing your beta-carotene intake.

Vitamin C preparations can also discolor on the skin surface as they contact oxygen in the environment. This accounts for the orange color that may emerge on the skin in the morning after wearing a vitamin C preparation overnight.

Dietary treatment

With elimination of the intake of carotene-rich foods, serum carotene levels drop sharply within a week and the yellow discoloration of the skin gradually disappears over several weeks to months. Medications are not indicated for the treatment of diet-induced carotenemia.

Consuming high amounts of beta-carotene or other forms of provitamin A can turn the skin yellow-orange, but this condition is harmless. High intakes of beta-carotene do not cause birth defects or the other more serious effects caused by getting too much preformed vitamin A.

Carotenemia, the ingestion of excessive amounts of vitamin A precursors in food, mainly carrots, is manifested by a yellow-orange coloring of the skin, primarily the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. It differs from jaundice in that the sclerae remain white.

Carotenemia is a clinical condition characterized by yellow pigmentation of the skin (xanthoderma) often on the feet and palms of adults, and increased beta-carotene levels in the blood.