A warm pair of boots is also needed. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. Superficial frostbite, as seen here on the tip of a finger, is most common on the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin. It can take up to six months for the area to recover. [26] Cases have been reported, but no randomized control trial has been performed on humans. Deep frostbite suggests there will be greater tissue loss. In fourth-degree frostbite, there is damage to the full thickness of the skin and also the underlying tissues such as muscle, tendons and bone. This only affects the surface of the skin. It feels frozen and hard. People who spend a lot of time outside in cold weather are at risk of frostbite and other cold-weather injuries. Inadequate clothing and shelter are major risk factors. Change wet clothing for dry clothing. You are more at risk of developing frostbite if you smoke, as the chemicals in cigarettes can cause your blood vessels to constrict. Permanent nerve damage including loss of feeling can occur. If it is treated quickly, the skin usually recovers fully. If there is no risk of re-freezing, the extremity can be exposed and warmed in the groin or underarm of a companion. The cold causes freezing of your skin and underlying tissues. Firstly, wearing layers is essential to staying warm. [3] Severity may be divided into superficial (1st and 2nd degree) or deep (3rd and 4th degree). [1], Prevention is through wearing proper clothing, maintaining hydration and nutrition, avoiding low temperatures, and staying active without becoming exhausted. © 2004-2020 Healthline Media UK Ltd, Brighton, UK, a Red Ventures Company. It may also feel hard or stiff. With superficial frostbite (3), your skin feels warm, a sign of serious skin involvement. If frostbite is superficial, over time new pink skin will form underneath the scabs. Treatment focuses on warming or thawing the frostbitten areas. In second-degree frostbite, the affected skin is often red, or may become blue. Frostbite. [1] The first formal description of the condition was in 1813 by Dominique Jean Larrey, a physician in Napoleon's army, during its invasion of Russia. [16] According to Handford and colleagues, "The Wilderness Medical Society and State of Alaska Cold Injury Guidelines recommend a temperature of 37–39 °C, which decreases the pain experienced by the patient whilst only slightly slowing rewarming time." Frostbite, or frostbite, is a cold burn. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier; 2018. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Medical conditions that affect your ability to feel or respond to cold, such as dehydration, excessive sweating, exhaustion, diabetes and poor blood flow in your limbs, Fear, panic or mental illness, if it inhibits good judgment or hampers your ability to respond to cold, Being an infant or older adult, both of whom may have a harder time producing and retaining body heat, Being at high altitude, which reduces the oxygen supply to your skin, Increased risk of developing frostbite again, Growth defects in children, if frostbite damages a bone's growth plate, Gangrene — decay and death of tissue resulting from an interruption of blood flow to the affected area — which can result in amputation.

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