Frostbite Symptoms
Frostbite is when the skin and tissues beneath it begin to freeze due to extreme cold exposure. When you are exposed to such extreme cold, there are a myriad of possible frostbite symptoms and problems that you can experience. These include hypothermia, trench foot, chilblains, frostbite and in the early stages of frostbite, frostnip.
What is frostbite?
Frostbite occurs when the temperature of blood becomes dangerously low. This slows blood flow and causes tissue cell death from the lack of oxygen. You will likely experience frostbite first in your extremities (toes and fingers). As the body’s natural reaction to extreme cold is to redirect blood flow to the vital organs, it leaves the extremities without warm, circulated blood.
Once your body is exposed to temperatures cold enough to freeze water (32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius), you are susceptible to frostnip after a few seconds of exposure. If you are wet the condition will worsen at a quicker pace.
As the body attempts to warm its core, circulation to the extremities decreases and the blood vessels narrow, blood clots may occur. When the tissues and fluids are chilled like this, the soft tissue can die and gangrene may occur. Severe cases of gangrene can lead to necessary amputation. The frostbite itself can cause severe and long lasting damage.
While any part of the body can be affected, frostbite usually presents on the hands, ears, feet, nose and lips.
What are the symptoms of frostbite?
Frostbites are categorized in degrees like burns, and like burns, the degrees are based on the skin level affected.
First degree frostbite, also known as frostnip, affects the surface level of the skin. As frostnip sets in, pain and itching will begin to develop. Then as it progresses white or yellow patches will start popping up, and the area will start getting numb. While frostnip doesn’t often cause any kind of permanent damage, affected areas tend to be extra sensitive to heat and cold for a while until treated.
Second-degree frostbite occurs when the top layers of skin freeze and harden, while the deeper layers are still unaffected. Frostbite symptoms include purple-colored blisters will likely appear after a few days, and it is possible that those blisters can turn black and harden; it can take these lesions 3-4 weeks to heal. Nerve damage is possible at this degree. You can experience numbness and pain, or even total loss of sensation in the affected areas. Permanent damage is possible and you may not ever be able to properly sense heat or cold in those areas.
Third- and fourth-degree frostbite cases occur when the freezing penetrates deeper into the skin, causing deep tissue injury. Your muscles, blood vessels, tendons and nerves will freeze at this stage, and the skin will feel waxy and smooth. Permanent limb loss is quite possible.
Complications of frostbite
Gangrene is an extreme complication of frostbite, and it is often necessary to treat gangrene by amputating the affected areas. Untreated gangrene leads to different diseases within the body that may be fatal.
Frostbite can cause a lot issues for your body. Small blood clots (called disseminated intravascular coagulation [DIC]) can form in your blood vessels, and cardiovascular collapse and sepsis is also possible. These can all be fatal if left untreated.
What is the treatment for frostbite?
To treat frostbite, you will need to slowly start rewarming or thawing the affected areas, however, if you believe that you or the person you are assisting has third/fourth degree frostbite then you should avoid rubbing the affected areas as the friction can cause more tissue damage.
Once you suspect frostbite, the best thing to do is to move to a warm place. Remove all wet clothes immediately and get into dry ones. Wrap the afflicted in heavy blankets and keep the frostbitten areas covered.
When To Look For A Doctor?
If you see any of the following signs of frostbite:
signs of profound or superficial frostbite
Increased discomfort, puffiness, inflammation, or discharge in the frostbitten area
Fever
new, illogical symptoms
For skin that is rough, cold, or blotchy, seek emergency attention.
Get immediate medical attention if you think you may be hypothermic, a condition in which the body loses heat more quickly than it can create. Hypothermia’s warning signs and symptoms include:
severe trembling
Unsteady speech
fatigue and poor coordination
How To Prevent Frostbite?
1. Do Not Stay Outside For Too Long
This is the best thing you can do to help you protect from frostbite. Do not stay out for too long.
If you have something important then get prepared to go outside, if possible travel by a car.
Even if you go by walking do not stay out for long periods. If its snowing outside then avoid going out.
If it snows while you are out then immediately find a warm shelter or try to get to home as soon as possible.
In windy weather exposed skin can get frostbite in just few minutes.
2. Stay Hydrated
It may sound weird but yes, dehydration can also cause you fro site!
So you must make sure to stay hydrated during the cold days. Drink a glass of water before going out, do it even if you aren’t thirsty.
You must maintain water level in your body to prevent frostbite.
If you are going out for some kind of activity then drink plenty of water, you can drunk sports drinks as well!
However, make sure to not drink alcohol at all, it will lower the temperature of your body and increase the changes of frost bite.
3. Watch Out For The Early Signs Of Frostbite
Treating frost bite can be really easy if you notice the early symptoms and get the treatment right away.
Although there aren’t many early symptoms of frostbite you can still recognize it by change in your skin color and numbness in the area.
4. Exercise To Keep Yourself Warm
Working out will help you flow blood through your veins which will produce heat because of a proper blood circulation.
But don’t overdo it or you may sweat a lot and get tired which will increase chances of frostbite.
What Are Some Long Term Effects Of A Serious Frostbite?
A severe frostbite can have range of long-term effects, here are some of the most common ones:
1. Tissue Loss: In some cases, if the frostbite has gotten really worse then there are chances of tissue death. To deal with this you may need an amputation to prevent the risk of further infection.
2. Chronic Pain: Many people report long-lasting Or even permanent pain in the areas damaged by frostbite due to nerve damage.
3. Sensitivity To Cold: If you had frostbite then there are chances you will experience increased sensitivity to cold temperatures in the damaged areas. This can even make you more prone to cold related injuries in the future.
4. Permanent Nerve Damage: A serious frostbite van easily lead to permanent nerve damage, which may result into tingling, numbness, or complete loss of sensation of the affected part.
5. Changes In Skin: Once you had frostbite, there are chances of your skin remaining discolored, it may look red, purple, or even black, there are chances of a scar tissue developing too! Which leads to altered appearance of the affected area.
6. Increased Risk Of Infection: The damaged tissue is much more prone to infections, especially during healing process. As mentioned earlier, serious infections can complicate the recovery, may even lead to tissue damage and may need amputations.
How To Care For Frostbite Blisters?
Frostbite blisters are dangerous, this treating them with care and avoid all risks of infection is necessary, here are some tips to help out:
1. Do not Pop Blisters: Blisters are protecting the underlying skin, so make sure they are protected and you do not pop them, out it will increase the risk of infection.
2. Make Sure To Keep The Area Clean: Gently wash it with mild soap and water, and keep it as clean as possible to prevent the risks of infection.
Warming Frostbite
When warming the afflicted areas, be sure to do it slowly, as quickly warming the area can ineffectively dethaw the ice and lead to further complications. Putting the affected parts in warm water if possible to soak can help, and you should do that until normal color comes back (the color may come back and turn red as the skin swells up when blood circulation returns). Once that happens you can remove the afflicted areas from the water.
As mentioned before, quickly warming up the area can lead to more complications so you should avoid direct heat. Additionally, since the area will likely be numb, the afflicted person may not be able to sense frostbite symptoms like when their extremities are getting too warm and may end up burning themselves.
After removing the areas from warm water, they should be dried gently. A sterile dressing can be put loosely over them to protect them. If there is any infection in the skin or blisters, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic.
Once removed, you should gently dry the area and put a loose, sterile dressing over them. The afflicted should consult with a doctor to make sure that the area is healing properly. It is common for infections to develop in frostbitten areas so this is an important step in recovery.
If you work or play outside, come in for preventive tips. If you already have experienced damage due to cold, we can help.