Frostbite Treatment: Understanding Freezing Injuries
Key takeaways:
Frostbite is a type of cold weather injury that can be mild or severe. Severe forms of frostbite develop when tissue is frozen.
Frostbite needs immediate medical attention to avoid complications like amputation. If you suspect someone has frostbite, go to the nearest emergency room.
If help will take time to arrive, you can rewarm skin by placing it in warm water or warming it with body heat. Don’t put the area in hot water or near open flames, and don’t rub the area. All of these things can worsen the damage.
Do you like cold weather, or do you work outdoors in chilly temperatures? If so, you know how important it is to keep warm and stay safe from cold injuries. But while you're working or having fun, sometimes the unexpected happens. If you’ve recently had a cold injury, here’s what you need to know about freezing injuries like frostbite — and when to get treatment.
What is frostbite?
Frostbite is a type of severe cold injury. The parts of the body most likely to get a cold injury and frostbite are the:
Hands
Feet
Nose
Cheeks
Ears
Save over 40% on Qsymia with GoodRx
Discover the once daily Qsymia for weight management. Qsymia is for adults and children 12-17 in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
When parts of the body get exposed to subzero temperatures without protection, cells will freeze and die. In the cold, blood vessels will also squeeze down. This preserves warm blood flow to the most important parts of the body — the brain, heart, and kidneys. But this also takes blood away from exposed parts of the body, leading to a cold injury.
If you can’t warm up, damage gets worse, and the skin and tissue underneath can freeze. When the skin or tissue freezes, people develop frostbite.
Frozen tissue is severely damaged and sometimes can’t be saved. Frostbitten tissue can become infected, and this infection can spread to healthy tissue and create more damage. Immediate treatment increases the chance of saving frostbitten tissue and prevents healthy skin and tissue from becoming injured.
What are the symptoms of frostbite and cold injuries?
Frostbite doesn’t develop all at once. The longer people are exposed to freezing conditions, the worse the cold injury gets. As frostbite progresses, people feel different symptoms.
Frostnip
The first stage of frostbite is frostnip. Frostnip is a cold injury, but the skin and tissue aren’t frozen yet. It’s reversible, which means the skin and tissue can completely recover if you can get out of the cold and warm up the area.
Symptoms of frostnip are:
A tingling or stinging sensation in the exposed area
Numbness and decreased sensation to touch in the exposed area
Skin that looks pale over the exposed area
Swelling of the exposed area
Read more like this
Explore these related articles, suggested for readers like you.
Superficial frostbite
With superficial frostbite, skin and tissue underneath begin to freeze. People may still experience symptoms of frostnip. They also start to develop blisters on the skin. Initial blisters are filled with clear fluid. The skin around them is red and swollen. These blisters can pop, revealing tissue underneath.
Deep frostbite
The most serious type of frostbite is deep frostbite. At this stage, deeper tissue starts to freeze. People develop more blisters, but this time the blisters are deeper and filled with blood. Eventually, as the blisters pop, the skin turns gray, blue, or black. This tissue often can’t be saved.
If frostbite reaches the muscle and bones, these tissues start to die too. This is fourth-degree frostbite. In fourth-degree frostbite, tissue can’t be saved, and people need amputation to prevent injury and infection to nearby healthy tissue.
What to do if you think you have frostbite or a cold injury
If you’ve been exposed to cold weather and have frostnip or frostbite symptoms, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Until help arrives, follow these steps:
Move to a warm area, or at least an area sheltered from wind, rain, or snow.
Remove any wet clothing.
Splint the limb if possible. If you can’t splint it, try not to use the limb or hand. Moving injured tissue can worsen damage.
Sit down. Walking on frostbitten toes or feet can worsen the injury.
If frostbite is mild, you can try warming the area by placing it in warm (not hot) water. You can also use body heat. For example, place fingers under the armpit.
Don’t rub frostbitten areas, this will make damage worse.
Don’t put frostbitten areas next to a stove or fire. The area will be numb and you won’t be able to tell if the area is getting too hot. This can result in accidental heat injuries and burns.
When help arrives, expect to spend time at a hospital. You will need rewarming therapy and additional treatment like antibiotics and surgery.
How do you prevent frostbite?
Frostbite is a serious injury that can lead to amputation and even death. Even in cases where tissue can be saved, people still have long-term consequences — including bone damage, chronic pain, and arthritis.
To keep yourself safe from frostbite when you’re out in the cold, follow these tips:
Always let someone know where you’re going and when you’ll be back. This way, if you get stuck or stranded without a phone, they can call for help.
Always pack a phone and extra batteries with you.
If you’re stranded, move to a sheltered location away from wind and water.
Wear clothing that wicks away moisture, especially the layer right next to your skin. Damp clothing increases the risk of developing frostbite.
Wear clothing that offers appropriate insulation and wind protection for your top layers.
Use moisture-resistant and wind-impermeable clothing to protect areas at highest risk for frostbite, like the hands, feet, ears, and face. Don’t rely on ointments or other products that promise to protect against frostbite — they might make things worse.
Stay hydrated and rest. Exhaustion and dehydration increase the risk of developing frostbite.
Don’t drink alcohol if you’re going to be out in the cold. Alcohol impairs judgment and can increase heat loss because it causes the blood vessels to dilate.
The bottom line
Some people love cold weather, but chilly temperatures can be dangerous. Freezing injuries like frostbite can happen without proper protection from the cold. So when you head outside in cold weather, be sure to put on extra layers and prepare for the unexpected.
If you notice signs of frostbite, get medical attention right away. In the meantime, try to rewarm the skin with body heat or warm water. But be careful to avoid further damage with hot water.
Why trust our experts?
References
Basit, H., et al. (2022). Frostbite. StatPearls.
Lehmuskallio, E., et al. (2000). Thermal effects of emollients on facial skin in the cold. Acta Dermato-Venereologica.
Murphy, J. V., et al. (2000). Frostbite: Pathogenesis and treatment. Journal of Trauma.
National Health Services. (2021). Overview: Frostbite.
Regli, I. B., et al. (2021). Long-term sequelae of frostbite- A scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Rintamaki, H. (2000). Predisposing factors and prevention of frostbite. International Journal of Circumpolar Health.
