Hi Vicky,

The weird coloring is part of the symptoms for RSD. The skin changes as well - it's like it's very thin and paper-like.

Two summers ago, I was enjoying the sun and warmth on my legs, especially the one that is cold all the time. Bad idea - I have never burned in my life, but the leg that has the RSD, burned and looked awful. It still has "colors" similiar to a suntan, even after all this time. It's funny looking though, especially when it gets "angry" and goes to the purple blotchy coloration.

I've had people ask me how my leg can still have a tan, and I show them the other leg which is quite lighter. I don't fully understand how nerve problems can affect the pigmentation of your skin, but it does. I also can't fully understand the ridges and changes in finger/toe nails. My finger nails are awful, the toe nails are too, but I wear socks all the time so I can't see them. My husband thinks maybe if I painted them, but I think that the nailpolish would make the ridges more noticable. Besides, I have a problem with peeling and chipping the nailpolish off.