Frostbite is the common name given to a condition in which your skin and underlying tissue is severely affected by extreme cold or long exposure to cold temperatures. It can be mild, often called frostnip, but the more severe frostbite can cause such problems as damage to your nerves and infections. The condition typically affects areas of your body that are more exposed such as areas of your face including your chin, cheeks and nose, as well as your ears, toes and fingers, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Numbness
Because frostbite affects your skin and underlying tissue, which is connected to your nerves, one of the first signs of the condition is a numbing of the affected areas. Along with lack of normal touch sensations, you also may experience such problems as itching, prickling or tingling and pain in the parts of your body that are frostbitten. These kinds of sensations also may occur with other symptoms of sensation such as burning or coldness.
Skin Discoloration
Frostbite also typically affects the normal skin complexion at the affected area. Your skin may change color in the area and may appear as yellowish-gray, white or red. Your skin also may appear very pale where you have frostbite.
Skin Texture Changes
When your body has been affected by frostbite, it can change the texture of the surrounding area of skin. It may, for example, make your skin feel much harder than normal. It also may make your skin appear with a wax-like sheen.
Blisters
Severe cases of frostbite--which will require medical treatment rather than less severe cases in which basic first aid can help--can make your skin blister at the site of affect, according to the Mayo Clinic. Blisters are pockets of skin that rise above your normal layer of skin and may be filled with liquid. They can be sore, especially if they burst.
Clumsiness
Frostbite also can have the disconcerting affect of making you feel and act clumsy. You may stumble when you walk or knock things over. This occurs because the muscles and joints near the affected areas can become stiff with the lack of sensation characteristic of frostbite, according to the Mayo Clinic.
