Frostbite: Signs and First Aid

Frostbite is the freezing of skin and the tissue under it. It most often hits the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers and toes, and in serious cases it can cost a limb.

Signs

• Redness or pain in any skin area may be the first sign. Get out of the cold or protect the skin as soon as you notice it.
• Then: a white or grayish-yellow patch of skin, skin that feels unusually firm or waxy, and numbness.

Because the skin goes numb, people often don’t feel frostbite happening. Check each other’s faces in the cold.

First aid

1. Check for hypothermia first. It is more dangerous, and it comes first in treatment: see hypothermia.
2. Get medical attention as soon as possible.
3. Get into a warm place. Don’t walk on frostbitten feet or toes if you can avoid it.
4. Put the affected area in warm, not hot, water that feels comfortable to the touch on unaffected skin. Or warm it with body heat, such as fingers in an armpit.
5. Do not rub or massage the area: it damages the frozen tissue.
6. Do not warm it with a heat lamp, stove, fireplace or heating pad. Numb skin burns easily.

In the field, don’t thaw frostbitten tissue if it is likely to freeze again before you reach shelter. Refreezing does more damage than staying frozen a little longer.