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Frostbites: Frostbiteopen Pop-Up Dialog Box

Frostbite is an injury caused by freezing of the skin and underlying tissues that makes the skin feel very cold, become red then numb, hard and pale. It most commonly affects fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin when exposed to cold, windy weather. Frostbite can range from mild frostnip that causes temporary numbness to deep frostbite where skin and tissue below die, causing blackened, hardened skin. Immediate medical care is needed for severe frostbite to prevent infection and potential nerve damage or tissue loss.

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178 views4 pages

Frostbites: Frostbiteopen Pop-Up Dialog Box

Frostbite is an injury caused by freezing of the skin and underlying tissues that makes the skin feel very cold, become red then numb, hard and pale. It most commonly affects fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin when exposed to cold, windy weather. Frostbite can range from mild frostnip that causes temporary numbness to deep frostbite where skin and tissue below die, causing blackened, hardened skin. Immediate medical care is needed for severe frostbite to prevent infection and potential nerve damage or tissue loss.

Uploaded by

Chelsea Espiritu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Frostbites

FrostbiteOpen pop-up dialog box

Frostbite is an injury caused by freezing of the skin and underlying tissues. First your
skin becomes very cold and red, then numb, hard and pale. Frostbite is most common
on the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin. Exposed skin in cold, windy weather
is most vulnerable to frostbite. But frostbite can occur on skin covered by gloves or
other clothing.

Frostnip is a milder form of cold injury that doesn't cause permanent skin damage. You
can treat frostnip with first-aid measures, including rewarming the affected skin. All other
frostbite requires medical attention because it can damage skin, tissues, muscle and
bones. Possible complications of severe frostbite include infection and nerve damage.

Products & Services

 Book: Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies


Symptoms
Stages of
frostbiteOpen pop-up dialog box
FrostnipOpen pop-up dialog box

Signs and symptoms of frostbite include:


 At first, cold skin and a prickling feeling

 Numbness

 Red, white, bluish-white or grayish-yellow skin

 Hard or waxy-looking skin

 Clumsiness due to joint and muscle stiffness

 Blistering after rewarming, in severe cases

Frostbite is most common on the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin. Because of
skin numbness, you may not realize you have frostbite until someone else points it out.

Frostbite occurs in several stages:

 Frostnip. Frostnip is a mild form of frostbite. Continued exposure leads to numbness in


the affected area. As your skin warms, you may feel pain and tingling. Frostnip doesn't
permanently damage the skin.

 Superficial frostbite. Superficial frostbite appears as reddened skin that turns white or


pale. Your skin may begin to feel warm — a sign of serious skin involvement. If you treat
frostbite with rewarming at this stage, the surface of your skin may appear mottled. And
you may notice stinging, burning and swelling. A fluid-filled blister may appear 12 to 36
hours after rewarming the skin.

 Deep (severe) frostbite. As frostbite progresses, it affects all layers of the skin,
including the tissues that lie below. Your skin turns white or bluish gray and you may
experience numbness, losing all sensation of cold, pain or discomfort in the affected area.
Joints or muscles may no longer work. Large blisters form 24 to 48 hours after rewarming.
Afterward, the area turns black and hard as the tissue dies.

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