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Frostbite
Frostbite is an injury to the body that is caused by freezing. It most often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes. Frostbite can permanently damage the body, and severe cases can lead to amputation.
Signs of frostbite include
- A white or grayish-yellow skin area
- Skin that feels unusually firm or waxy
- Numbness
If you have symptoms of frostbite, seek medical care. But if immediate medical care isn't available, here are steps to take:
- Get into a warm room as soon as possible.
- Unless absolutely necessary, do not walk on frostbitten feet or toes. Walking increases the damage.
- Put the affected area in warm - not hot - water.
- You can also warm the affected area using body heat. For example, use your armpit to warm frostbitten fingers.
- Don't rub the frostbitten area with snow or massage it at all. This can cause more damage.
- Don't use a heating pad, heat lamp, or the heat of a stove, fireplace, or radiator for warming. Since frostbite makes an area numb, you could burn it.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Start Here
- Winter Weather: Frostbite(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Overviews
- Frostbite(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
- Frostbite(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Winter Weather FAQs(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Treatment
- Frostbite, First Aid(Logical Images)
- Frostbite: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Prevention/Screening
- Fighting Off Frostbite(American Osteopathic Association)
- Preventing Frostbite and Hypothermia(National Safety Council) - PDF
- Tips to Protect Workers in Cold Environments(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
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Specific Conditions
- Chilblains(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Nonfreezing Tissue Injuries(Merck & Co., Inc.)
- Trench Foot or Immersion Foot(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
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Related Issues
- Cold Stress(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
- Cold Stress Equation(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Physical Allergy(Merck & Co., Inc.)
- Raynaud Phenomenon (Beyond the Basics)(UpToDate)
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Health Check Tools
- Cold Injury(DSHI Systems)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Also available in Spanish
- National Center for Environmental Health(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- Also available in Spanish
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Children
- Frostbite(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Frostbite(Nemours Foundation)
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Patient Handouts
- Frostbite
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