This picture right here is why I wear knitted gauntlets. See that blue tinge on the middle and ring fingers? It’s spring, and I’m wearing three layers on my torso, but I have Reynaud’s and that means that my extremities are basically fucked.
I don’t get really dramatic discolouration like some people do, but I get a lot of numb patches on my fingers from single nerves switching off, which is both annoying and distressing to go through (my mother has MS so I’m hyperaware of any nerve problems and the more mentally ill I am, the more likely I am to fixate on the numbness).
I also have a wide range of interesting scar tissue on my toes from chillblains, which I don’t get so much any more because it turns out that eventually the nerves just get too damaged to notice heat and cold changes any more. (I’ll save you the pictures though.) One of my little toes in particular is so badly scarred from repeated chillblains that I no longer have proper sensation on the skin.
Layering doesn’t help Reynaud’s. Increasing the bloodflow does, but it can cause chillblains if it happens too fast - chillblains are formed when a nerve is exposed to temperature extremes too fast to adjust. I also have a lot of problems with not being able to cool down, as well as not being able to heat up - temperature regulation (thermostasis) is only really effective if your veins and arteries dilate properly. My hands, feet, ears and nose can’t do that enough to be effective.
So, now you know. It’s a pain in the arse. (Also a pain in the hands, feet, nose and ears.) Getting fat actually helped a little with the cold symptoms, fat’s a great insulator, but I have a worse time in summer now accordingly. And even though I do have a lot of insulation now, it doesn’t stop it from happening. Even the knitted gauntlets only help so much.
