What to do if you get frostbite

(A bad case of Frostbite on the fingers, this may look gruesome but the damage is only on the outer layers of skin so no fingers will be lost)

For anyone going into an environment of extreme cold, knowing what to do if you get frostbite can save your life, or at least a few fingers. Frostbite can occur on the most unsuspecting of people, whether you’re on a skiing trip or just happened to be outside during a particularly cold spell in a warm country, frostbite can affect anyone. So what do you do if you get frostbite and how serious is it? but before we answer this it’s important to understand what frostbite actually is.

What is Frostbite?

When someone is affected by frostbite, one or more of their layers of skin will be completely frozen and end up dying, regardless of how well or quickly it is warmed up. When living tissue freezes, it expands and this causes the cell walls within living matter to rupture, which kills the cell. If a part of your body is frozen all the way through, there will be no way to repair the tissue as it will be dead as soon as it freezes, but it won’t start to decompose until it thaws. Sometimes frostbite can only affect the outer layers of your skin and leave enough living tissue unharmed deeper down, giving the finger or body part the chance to make a full recovery.

What is Frostnip?

(You can see the blood has moved away from the outer layers of skin to protect body temperature, and the skin is close to freezing, but this stage can be completely cured)

This is the early warning sign of frostbite. At this stage the skin will become numb and turn white, showing very poor circulation in the area. This stage is always treatable and normally requires nothing more than warming up the affected area and gently rubbing to help restore circulation, but if left untreated for too long will almost certainly develop into the more serious version. One of the most obvious signs of frostnip isn’t the feeling of being cold because of the numbness that comes with it, but rather in how the skin looks. The nose is usually the first warning sign and often has a shiny, almost porcelain look to it, which means the skin is about to completely freeze.

How do you develop Frostbite?

Most people think the only way to get this condition is to be exposed to very cold temperatures for too long, but it can also occur from touching very cold metals or direct contact with ice, so next time you fancy a bit of ice fishing bring something to sit on so you don’t get frostbite butt.

The higher the wind speed and colder the air, the greater the chance of getting frostbite. There are certain areas of the world where your skin can flash freeze if exposed for too long, which can happen in just a few minutes. If the wind speed is over 40mph and the temperature is -10C or lower, then it can only take 10 minutes for exposed skin to freeze, and the feeling of numbness that comes with it makes people think it isn’t as bad as it is.

(When the fingers turn black after thawing out it means the tissue has died, and the only course of action is amputation)

If you realize you have Frostbite?

There are two very important things to remember when you realize you are affected by frostbite. The first is to not put any pressure on the area as this will increase the chances of the tissue dying, but often can’t be avoided when this happens to the toes. If you realize you have frostbite then don’t assess how bad it is by how you feel, but how bad it looks and feels to the touch. The affected area will likely be numb so don’t try to squeeze it to try and feel something.

The other important thing to remember is to not try and warm up the affected area until you are in a position where you can keep it warm. Depending on how bad the frostbite is, recovery could be anything from a few hours for something like fingertips to several days for something larger. If you partially warm up the area and let it get cold again, this will cause more damage to the tissue and more pain during the next thawing session.

How to treat Frostbite

If it’s possible you should always seek professional medical care, even if it’s for something as small as the end of your finger. If the tissue dies and it’s still connected to your body, the chance of infection becomes very high. But if you are out in the wilderness somewhere and need to do it yourself then these useful tips may help.

Step 1)
Remove all clothing away from the affected area and make sure it’s clean and dry, but don’t use warm water to wash off any dirt. Instead clean and dry by wiping with a cloth without putting pressure on the area.

Step 2)
Gently warm the area, slowly. If you use hot water or touch a radiator until you can “feel” it, you will only be damaging the tissue further, and the sudden shock to the body could mean the difference between keeping and losing your toes.

Use slightly warm water, or put a towel or piece of dry clothing next to a fire for a few seconds just so it’s gently warm, and wrap around the area. It is important to remember not to irritate the area by rubbing, which will be very tempting when the feeling starts coming back, along with a few shooting pains and itchiness.

If you have a bandage, or a long piece of thin cloth from somewhere, wrap it between the fingers or toes so they are completely covered, and avoid rubbing them against one another when the feeling comes back. It’s important to warm the affected area up slowly and avoid the temptation to use hot water or get too close to the fire. The slower the area warms up, the easier it will be to heal and the less pain you’ll experience when the feeling comes back.

If you’re suffering from frostnip then that’s something you can treat in the field and will cause nothing more than discomfort, but if you’re affected by frostbite then no matter how well it “appears” to have healed, there’s the possibility that there may be some unlying tissue damage, so always get to a hospital to have a check if you don’t get all of the feeling back.

Whenever people are affected by frostbite it is almost always on the same body parts. The fingers, toes, nose, and ears are the first things to freeze of expose because they have the biggest surface areas to how thick they are, and the circulation in them isn’t fast enough to displace cold effectively. A hat, scarf, and decent pair of gloves are necessary when going into the cold, so don’t risk it and wrap up warm.