Frostbite is common. It basically relates to a kind of injury which is causing you to have freezing skin. This is the kind of issue which leads to your skin feeling supremely numb. There are many stages of frostbite but one of the leading ones is known as frostnip. There can be several frostbite symptoms you will have to go through as well.
Some of the most common symptoms relating to it include having cold skin and a very prickling feeling.
There is also severe numbness and you will notice inflammation of the skin.
In time, the frostbite can worsen and your skin will start to get worse.
There are so many things which can trigger this condition in a person. Including having exposure to very cold weather. Feeling vulnerable to extreme coldness.
You will not notice but this can even exceed further and cause even more complications in the body.
In this article, I want to talk about what is frostbite, frostbite symptoms and more.
Let’s start this discussion:
What is Frostbite?
First of all, let’s look into and talk in detail about what is frostbite.
This is when your skin is being exposed to very freezing temperatures.
So much so that it will be damaging the skin and also the tissues underneath it.
But the good thing is you can treat this condition well.
It will be potentially possible to have a proper treatment of the same.
However if you don’t have it checked out soon, it can most definitely lead to even more complications and problems.
We will now look into the leading symptoms of this condition.
Frostbite Symptoms
When it is extremely cold and you feel your body going numb, changes are it is damaging you skin and the tissues underneath it.
This is more likely to happen for skin which is not covered properly. Then that skin will be getting very red and sore.
And when this happens, the condition is known as frostnip. It is what you can consider as being an early warning sign that frostbite will be happening soon.
As soon as you feel there is a frostnip taking over, you should be finding warm shelter to cover yourself up.
It is very important that you are able to identify the frostbite symptoms.
When you do so, it allows for you to have a complete control over the condition. Ensuring you can create a treatment plan that defines effective results overtime.
When you have complete awareness, you will be able to get a better handle on how to manage this condition any further.
Symptoms at Stages
Now let’s look into how frostbite actually develops through the various stages.
When we look at a frostbite, it is important to know how deep it is going into the body.
There are basically three stages of the frostbite.
The early stage is one which is only affecting the top layer of the skin.
This is the stage in which you can control the condition early on before it causes even more damage to your skin.
The skin in this is going to be changing color. It will start turning pale yellow or even white in color.
You will also be feeling a major itch and a burn. This is like someone is poking pins and needles into your skin.
Moving further, the advanced stages are such which will be affecting your muscles and bones.
The intermediate stage is one where your skin is going to become very hard.
It also gives the texture of being shiny or even waxy.
When the skin is looking like this, it will be thawing away. You will notice blisters are forming as well as cold sores.
The complications can further deepen as you will also notice blood formation.
However the worst form is when the condition develops into its advanced stage.
This is the time when the skin is going to be very hard. Also it is going to be very cold to touch.
The skin is also going to be visibly dark. It starts to look really blue. Overtime it will be turning into a far more darker color. Eventually it becomes completely black.
The problem is many people don’t realize that they have frostbite until it happens.
As it is getting worse, the skin becomes even more numb and continues to darken. You will most likely not feel anything anymore.
That is why you need to look onto and see how the skin color is changing.
This is probably the best way you can determine that something is wrong.
As soon as you notice the color is changing, it is basically a warning sign. That you need to act on it soon.
Frostbite Symptoms -Emergency Act Out
This basically relates to when your symptoms are getting far worse.
It is when you need to go to the emergency room right away to see how to combat the condition.
There are some clear, warning signs which suggest you need to do something about it.
Let me discuss with you what can be these warning signs and how you can handle them:
- Your skin is changing color at an alarming rate
- The skin is becoming very hard
- You will notice that your skin stays numb
- And when that happens, you will notice that your skin is not able to feel anything
- The numbness is spreading over
- It is possible that you will be feeling severe pain as the skin begins to thaw
- Skin blisters formation will be happening overtime
- You will notice sheer pain in one or both of your hands
Now let me just look into some of the leading causes of this condition.
Frostbite Causes
You might be wondering how this is happening to you.
Like how water begins to turn into ice at the time when the temperature is dropping, you will notice that your fingers, hands and toes and feet also begin to freeze.
This includes your nose and ears.
They will be feeling very ice-cold.
Up to the point where the cold weather is going to make you feel completely numb all over.
If you look into it, and as being father away from the core, these are actually a few of the first areas which are going to get affected.
And that is because there is a drop in the blood flow and this is one of the leading responses to the cold.
Also how you dress matters. If you are not covering yourself properly, it is definitely going to be causing you to suffer from this condition.
If you are not ready for taking on the cold and wet weather by covering yourself up properly, it will definitely be impacting your condition even more.
Also the weather and temperature determines how soon will you be suffering from this state. Make sure you are drinking water aplenty. As this gives a boost to your skin wellness.
If the conditions outside are extremely harsh, chances are you will get that frostbite within a few seconds. And it will be getting worse with time.
Now I want to talk about some of the leading frostbite treatment options that work.
Frostbite Treatment: What Works
When it comes to frostbite symptoms and determining how to cater to it with possible treatments. Know one thing- one person’s frostbite is very different from another’s.
So you have to make sure what works for you.
If it is not too advanced and you are not suffering from complications, it works if you can get to warm place.
Also don’t be rubbing your skin. This will be damaging it further if its frozen.
You should also not make the mistake of placing your cold hands and feet in a tub of hot water. Don’t take cold showers or hot showers either.
This will damage it further especially if the water is too cold. And your skin is so numb, you don’t even realize how it is affecting the outer layer.
What you should be doing is that make sure you are putting your frostbitten hands and feet in warm water at temperatures of 104F.
Or you can dip a washcloth and place this on the affected areas keeping them clean and neat.
This will lead to your skin thawing effectively. And when it does, it may start getting a little red.
You just have to repeat the exercise to make sure you are getting really good results really soon.
Conclusion
Frostbite is something which can happen to anyone who is suffering in really harsh and cold weather.
It impacts your skin in a strong manner. Making it worse over time.
You just have to make sure you are getting complete care.
And for that it is important to identify the frostbite symptoms. This will allow you to identify just how severe is your condition.
Knowing allows you to create an effective treatment plan. This means you will be getting everything needed to be done to ensure that the skin is well-taken care of.
In this article I shared identifying the frostbite symptoms, how it impacts your skin, looking at the causes. As well as some of the best and leading frostbite treatment options.
