Social media has been ablaze with a variety of theories and speculations about what in the hell happened to Donald Trump’s hand after he was seen in videos and photos waving at his supporters while departing Trump Tower with what appeared to be open sores or cuts of some kind on his index finger, thumb, and the palm of his hand. The amateur guesses across the World Wide Web have ranged from ketchup to classified document ink to a herpes outbreak, with the most popular theory being secondary syphilis, which causes breakouts on your hands and feet.
Of course, none of these theories can even come close to actually being confirmed, but they make for some internet fun, all the same.
However, we’ve finally had a real expert weigh in on the matter with their own theories on what might have caused Donald Trump’s mystery marks, and they’re interesting, to say the least.
Associate professor of dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, Dr. Joshua Zeichner, spoke with Business Insider as the hoopla grew surrounding Trump’s bizarre red hands and offered up some of his expert theories and opinions on what could be going on here — making special note, of course, that this is all theoretical and no diagnosis can be made off some grainy photos and videos.
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“Rashes on the hands can be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from infections to inflammatory conditions to external exposures,” Zeichner said, before laying out four possibilities of the cause, in his professional opinion.
The dermatologist noted that the most common cause of hand rashes is dry skin. The weather has been bitterly cold across most of the country in recent days, and the former president is a known germaphobe, meaning the extra handwashing he likely does would certainly be compounding his issue.
Zeichner also floated the possibility of blisters, caused by “friction from activities like golf, weightlifting, or baseball.” Trump is, of course, an avid golfer, so the theory is certainly possible, but God knows no one is going to believe that he’s lifting weights or playing baseball enough to blister his hands.
The skin expert also noted that “even lime juice exposure in the presence of sunlight can cause a chemical burn to the skin.” This type of skin issue is most commonly referred to as a “margarita burn.” Trump is notoriously said to not be a drinker, but it’s always possible that he’s been sipping down some citrusy mocktails.
Lastly, Zeichner noted that, at the end of the day, the possibilities are truly endless. Rashes and cuts on the hands can be caused by literally anything. There’s just no way of knowing with absolute certainty what causes the mystery marks on the big guy.
Featured image via Flickr/Trump White House Archives
