Frostbite is the local freezing of skin and underlying tissue, most often at the body’s extremities — fingers, toes, ears, nose, and cheeks — where circulation is poorest. Unlike hypothermia it is a localized injury rather than a systemic one, but lost tissue does not regrow and severe cases end in amputation.
Symptoms
Affected areas first prickle and burn, then go numb. The skin turns waxy pale or grey-white, feels hard or rubbery to the touch, and may form clear or blood-filled blisters on rewarming. Deep frostbite blackens the tissue irreversibly.
Progression
Superficial frostbite (“frostnip”) recovers fully if rewarmed promptly. Deep frostbite causes lasting damage: nerves do not fully heal, the affected part remains cold-sensitive for life, and severely frozen flesh dies and sloughs away or must be cut off to prevent gangrene.
Treatment
- Do not rewarm in the field if there is any chance of refreezing — refreezing destroys the tissue
- Once in shelter, immerse the affected part in warm (not hot) water until pliable
- Do not rub the area or break blisters
- Pad and protect the limb; treat any blackened tissue as a wound at risk of infection