Anyone who spends time outside in cold weather can get frostbite or hypothermia. If your job or leisure activities put you outside for long periods in cold weather, know the signs and symptoms of frostbite and hypothermia, and how to treat them.
Frostbite is the freezing of skin or tissues, most often occurring in the fingers, toes, hands, feet, ears, nose, and cheeks. Blood vessels in the skin constrict in the cold, resulting in less blood flow. Fluid in and around the skin cells develops ice crystals.
Children are at greater risk for frostbite than adults, since they lose heat more rapidly from their skin than adults. They are also likely to stay in the cold longer than they should, not wanting to end their winter fun and go inside.
Frostbite can be superficial or deep. With superficial frostbite, the skin turns grey or yellow then becomes red and flaky when it thaws. With deep frostbite, the skin looks waxy and feels hard. When it thaws, it turns blue or purple and may blister. Frostbitten tissue can die, and in serious cases, the dead or infected tissue must be amputated.
If you suspect frostbite in yourself or others:
- Get to a warm location as soon as possible.
- Call for medical assistance immediately.
- If the toes or feet are frostbitten, do not walk around.
- Gradually warm the frostbitten areas in lukewarm water, under blankets, or hold against warm body parts.
- Do not put direct heat (such as from a stove or fire) on the frostbitten area.
- Do not rub snow, or anything else, on the frostbitten area.
- Do not put bandages or any ointments on the damaged tissues.
Hypothermia is a dangerously low body temperature, and potentially deadly. A temperature below 95° F can result in death if not treated immediately. Unfortunately, the symptoms of hypothermia come on gradually, and cloud your thinking, meaning you can be in serious trouble before you know it.
Symptoms of hypothermia include:
- Confusion and sleepiness
- Slurred speech
- Shallow breathing
- Unusual changes in behavior
- Extreme shivering or, in later stages, no shivering at all
- Loss of control of body movements
Anyone who spends time in cold weather can get hypothermia. Being in cold water for too long, and being cold and wet (typically wearing wet clothing in the cold) also lead to hypothermia. Babies and young children, those with heart disease, and the elderly are especially at risk for developing hypothermia. Elderly people seem to be particularly insensitive to moderately cold, and can get hypothermia without even knowing it.
Treatment for hypothermia is similar to frostbite:
- Get in a warm enclosure as soon as possible.
- Remove any wet clothing.
- Call for medical assistance immediately.
- Gradually warm the body by immersion in a tub of lukewarm water, or under blankets.
- One of the best treatments is “snuggling” with a warm body, under blankets or zipped inside a sleeping bag. The more skin-to-skin contact with a warm body, the better.
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