Hi Louise, They are not compression gloves and not advertised as compression gloves they are the opposite. They work by increasing bloodflow which is the opposite to compression (which compresses the bloodflow) I would not stop wearing them as they are absolutely great if you want to increase bloodflow, heal your hands, help with arthritis (as this is an inflammatory disease ) the gloves are great for bringing inflammation down. Also they are fingerless so you can work with them whilst wearing them. you can wear normal gloves over them. Do you need any more information to clarify how and why they work ?