Frostbite (2024)

FAQs

Frostbite? ›

Frostbite is an injury caused by freezing of the skin and underlying tissues. The early stage of frostbite is called frostnip. It causes a cold feeling followed by numbness. As frostbite gets worse, the affected skin may change color and become hard or waxy-looking.

If you have very mild frostnip, you may heal within a few days to a few weeks. Second-stage frostbite can take up to six months for your skin to heal. You may experience skin scabbing and skin discoloration throughout the healing process. The third and most severe stage of frostbite can cause permanent skin damage.

The affected area should be rewarmed slowly by immersing it in warm, but not hot, water. A bath of water at a temperature of 37C to 39C (98.6F to 102.2F) is recommended. Rewarming should last at least 30 minutes and only be stopped once the affected body part is a red-purple colour and can be easily moved.

Skin that is paler than normal, cold, and hard. Pain, tingling, burning, numbness, or aching. Swelling. Blisters in the first 24 hours.

When the temperature is zero degrees Fahrenheit or below, it takes about 30 minutes for exposed skin to get frostbite. At 15 degrees below zero with even a little bit of wind, frostbite is possible within 15 minutes.

Second degree frostbite is when you see light colored blisters and your skin starts sloughing or shedding. Blood filled blisters are signs of third-degree frostbite. These may occur after you have rewarmed your skin. The worst type of frostbite, fourth degree, is when bone, tendon, or muscle has frozen.

Wool or synthetic socks are preferred to cotton. Vaseline and other topical creams do not prevent frostbite and should not be used in this manner. Return to play should be overseen by a sports medicine physician and may take several weeks or months depending on the severity of the injury.

If possible, soak the skin with frostbite in a tub or sink of warm water for about 30 minutes. For frostbite on the nose or ears, cover the area with warm, wet cloths for about 30 minutes. Drink a warm, nonalcoholic beverage. Take a nonprescription pain reliever if needed.

In frostbite, body tissues become frozen, and permanent damage may happen if the affected area is not treated promptly. Amputation of a body part may be needed in the most severe cases. Most commonly, affected body parts include the nose, ears, fingers, toes, cheeks, and chin.

Don't rub frostbitten areas — treat them gently. Don't use dry heat — such as a fireplace, oven, or heating pad — to thaw frostbite. Don't break any blisters. Warm the frostbitten parts in warm (not hot) water for about 30 minutes.

What does pre frostbite look like? ›

Frostnip is a mild form of frostbite that doesn't cause permanent damage to your skin. In people with light skin tones who have frostnip, your skin may look red or purple. Skin color changes may be hard to see in people with dark skin tones, but your skin may look lighter than your natural tone.

Chilblains. Frostbite is the most severe type of cold weather injury. However, milder cold weather injuries sometimes are mistaken for frostbite. Chilblains is a milder form, usually found in females when the skin has been exposed to cold, wet, and windy weather conditions.

During the early stage of frostbite, you'll experience pins and needles, throbbing or aching in the affected area. Your skin will become cold, numb and white, and you may feel a tingling sensation. This stage of frostbite is known as frostnip, and it often affects people who live or work in cold climates.

In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the country's first medication to treat severe frostbite. In a clinical trial, the drug, iloprost, greatly reduced amputations in nearly all the frostbite patients who received it.

As frostbite progresses, it affects all layers of the skin and the tissues below. The affected skin turns white or blue-gray. Large blood blisters may appear 24 to 48 hours after rewarming. Weeks after the injury, tissue may turn black and hard as it dies.

Once under the supervision of a medical professional, the best treatment for frostbitten fingers/hands is to rewarm in a warm (98-102º F) water bath. This is done until the affected part has become red and soft (about 15-30+ minutes). During the rewarming process, at first there is actually more cellular injury.

In frostbite, body tissues become frozen, and permanent damage may happen if the affected area is not treated promptly. Amputation of a body part may be needed in the most severe cases. Most commonly, affected body parts include the nose, ears, fingers, toes, cheeks, and chin.

Frostbite can affect not only deeper layers of skin, but also muscles, bones, and blood vessels. If the blood vessels are damaged, they may never recover. Without proper blood flow to the affected area, gangrene can develop, which occasionally can only be treated by amputating the affected limb.

Frostnip does not cause any damage to the skin. After rewarming, skin feeling, color and softness come back in less than 1 hour. Mild frostbite: After rewarming, the skin may be flushed and tingly. This lasts for a few hours.

If the frostbite did not affect your blood vessels, a complete recovery is possible. If the frostbite affected the blood vessels, the damage is permanent. Gangrene may occur. This may require removal of the affected body part (amputation).