Frostbite, Frost Bite, Frostnip, Chilblains Causes Cold Feet, Hands Symptoms for Frostbitten Treatment

Hand or foot aching pain redness is a precursor to frostbite, and conceivably hypothermia.  This is a blaring symptom to get your “too long of an exposure” skin out of the cold.

Whenever your body is in cold temperatures, it automatically narrows and constricts your skin’s blood vessels.  This natural response drastically reduces warm blood to your peripheral areas, like hands and feet, in an effort to keep its vital organs warm.

Absent the warmth of your blood, your skin cools to its exposed temperature.  In extremely cold environments, the frigidity leads to frostnip, frostbite and chilblains.

Frostbite is frozen body tissue, causing injury by freezing.  It most often affects your hands and feet.  Nose and ears are of frozen concern as well.

Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and color in the stricken area, potentially causing permanent blood vessel damage that may require amputation.

The symptoms indicative of frostbite are:

  • numbness
  • pale, white, grayish skin
  • skin feels hard, firm, waxy
  • lack of sensitivity to touch

You may be unaware that frostbite is settling into your feet and hands because they are numb.

Should you repeatedly experience feet or hand frost bite type numbness while in “less than extreme” cold conditions, then you might be suffering from Raynaud’s syndrome.

Very severe frostbite may cause:

It is recommended not to thaw frostbitten areas if you are in a situation where refreezing is likely, as this may worsen tissue damage.

In the event medical treatment is unavailable, warming your frost bitten hands and feet is accomplished by soaking them in warm, not hot, water.  Don’t use a fire or heating pad as a method for re-warming, nor rub your frost bite feet or hands together.

You’ll probably experience burning pain, swelling and redness as warm-up treatment progresses. Warming is accomplished when your feet or hands are soft, and you can actually feel with them again.

Next, apply a dressing between your frostbitten fingers or toes to keep them separated.  And refrain from moving your thawed hands and feet for awhile.

Frostnip precedes frostbite.  It is that “pins and needles” sensation just prior to frostbite’s numbness.  You may also experience throbbing at this stage.  This is point you need to seriously consider getting your feet, hands and the rest of your happy self out the extreme cold.

Frostnip can be treated at home by immersing your chilled body parts in warm, never hot, water until all sensation returns.

Chilblains, aka pernio, is red, swollen skin caused by inflamed small blood vessels.  It’s that painful small blood vessel inflammation in response to sudden warmth immediately following cold temperature exposure.

Rapid heating can cause small blood vessels under your skin to dilate quicker than the adjacent larger blood vessels can handle, causing a jam.  This stoppage leads to blood leaking into surrounding tissue.

Chilblains is an abnormal reaction and why this happens to some is unknown.

Symptoms of chilblains usually include:

Chilblains may cause complications if your skin blisters develop ulcers and infections.

Treatment for chilblains is corticosteroid creams to relieve itching and swelling. Typically, chilblains doesn’t leave any permanent damage after treatment, clearing up within a couple of weeks.

Your healthiest approach to frostbite, frostnip and chilblains is by limiting your body’s exposure to cold.  Always dress warm, cover exposed skin areas and mittens are warmer than gloves.

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