Frostbite - Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention

Frostbite is the freezing of the skin or tissue under the skin. Frostbite has the potential to be very serious, with amputation of badly affected areas a real possibility. Frostbite can occur in a relatively short length of time under the proper conditions, so learning how to identify the symptoms of frostbite is beneficial to those who live and play in cold weather country.

In a case of frostbite, the fluids in the body tissue freeze and then crystallize, causing damage to blood vessels. The result is a lack of oxygen to the region in question, as well as the clotting of blood. At a temperature of sixty degrees, the blood vessels closest to the skin begin to contract, reducing blood flow in an attempt to conserve the body's core temperature. If the temperature is cold enough, or you are exposed to cold for a long enough period of time, the poor blood flow in areas farthest from the heart, typically your ears, nose, fingers, and toes, combined with the freezing temps, will cause frostbite. In extreme frostbite cases, the tissue damage is so severe that amputation of the area that is frostbitten is necessary.

Many factors contribute to a case of frostbite, including the amount of time you are outdoors, the temperature and wind speed, humidity, dryness of the clothing you are wearing, alcohol consumption, and the altitude that you are at. Studies have shown that blacks are more susceptible to getting frostbitten than whites, and people that live in warmer climates are more liable to develop frostbite than those in colder ones. Frostbite has had an important impact on history, especially where Russia was concerned. First Napoleon and then Hitler failed to conquer Russia, losing thousands of soldiers to the cold, with frostbite causing much havoc. The old joke was that Russia's two top generals were January and February.