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Frostbite

Cold, tingly and painful skin.
Pale, hard, numb skin. It can be serious. It always needs medical care after re-warming.

Health Conditions. You are more likely to get frostbite if you have Raynaud's Disease, diabetes or have had frostbite in the past.
Clothing. Wearing wet clothes makes frostbite worse. Touching bare hands to cold metal during freezing weather can cause frostbite right away.
Length of Time in Cold. You are more likely to get frostbite the longer you are in freezing weather. Wind-chill causes you to get frostbite quicker.
Other Causes. Some medicines, smoking, alcohol and recreational drugs all raise your risk of frostbite.

When to Call for Frostbite
Call 911 Now Can't be awakened or hard to keep awake Speech is slurred Acts or talks confused Stumbling or falling Body feels very cold to the touch (not just hands and feet) Ice crystals on the skin You think you have a life-threatening emergency Call Doctor or Seek Care Now White, hard, numb skin (before rewarming) Severe shivering still present after re-warming and drying Severe pain still there after rewarming and taking pain medicine You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent	Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours Frostbitten skin starts to blister Blisters start to look infected (spreading redness or pus) Skin damage and last tetanus shot more than 10 years ago You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent Contact Doctor During Office Hours You have other questions or concerns	Self Care at Home Mild frostbite or frostnip

Frostbite is caused by exposure of parts of the body to temperatures below freezing for a period of time.
It most often affects the fingers, toes and feet. It can also affect the nose, cheeks and ear lobes.
Frostbite means the nerves, blood vessels and skin were frozen for a short time.
Often happens to people who work outside in the cold; those who do winter sports.
The homeless and the elderly are especially at risk.
Most frostbite is mild and gets better with warming up.
Here is some care advice that should help.

Move into a warm room.
For Frostbite of Fingers or Toes. Place the body part in warm water. A bathtub or sink is often best. The water should be very warm (98.6° to 102° F, or 37° to 39° C). It should not be hot enough to burn. Keep soaking in the warm water for about 30 minutes. A pink flush means blood flow has returned to the body part. At this point, the numbness should be gone. The affected part may feel painful as blood flow returns.
For Frostbite of the Face(such as ears, nose). Put a warm wet washcloth on the area. You should keep doing this for about 30 minutes. A pink flush means blood flow has returned to the area.
With more severe frostbite, the last 10 minutes of rewarming can be painful.
If not using a bathtub, keep the rest of your body warm. Cover with blankets.

A common mistake is to put snow on the frostbitten area or to rub it. Both can cause damage to thawing tissues.
Do not re-warm with dry heat. Do not use heat lamps, heating pads or electric heaters. Reason: skin that has frostbite can't sense burning.
Do not re-warm if the body part may freeze again in the next few hours. Freezing-warming-freezing causes more harm than freezing-warming.

To help with the pain, take a ibuprofen product (such as Advil).
Use as needed, but do not take more than the maximum recommended dosage as stated on the package.
If you are not sure what to take, ask a pharmacist.

Frostnip does not cause any damage to the skin. After rewarming, the 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.

Cold sensitivity and repeat bouts of frostbite is common if you have had severe frostbite in the past.
Dress in layers for cold weather. The first layer should be thermal underwear. The outer layer needs to be waterproof. The layers should be loose, not tight. Mittens are warmer than gloves. Do not use tight gloves or shoes. They might limit with blood flow.
Wear a hat, because more than 50% of heat loss occurs from the head.
Change wet gloves or socks right away.
Make sure you know the first warning signs of frostbite. Tingling and numbness are signs to go indoors.

Disclaimer: this health information is for educational purposes only. You, the reader, assume full responsibility for how you choose to use it.