When your skin is exposed to environmental temperatures or windchills that fall below freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit/0 degrees Celsius), you are at an increased risk of experiencing frostbite. Frostbite is a medical condition in which the delicate tissue of your body freezes. If frostbite is not treated immediately, the affected skin region can sustain permanent damage in certain patients. Discuss the effects of frostbite with your doctor, so that you know what symptoms to look for when spending time in colder climates.
Burning or Stinging Sensation
If you have frostbite, you may experience a burning or stinging sensation at the site of exposure as one of the first effects of the condition, explain health officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Indian Health Service (HHS-IHS). When your skin is exposed to significantly low temperatures, the fluid within this tissue can begin to form ice crystals. This can cause an uncomfortable pins-and-needles sensation to develop within the affected region of tissue after spending just a few minutes in an environment that is below freezing, warns the HHS-IHS. Your skin can also appear red or slightly swollen and can begin to ache or throb.
Numbness
If all the layers of your skin freeze, you can develop a numb sensation at the affected site. The most common body regions that are affected by frostbite are the nose, ears, hands and feet, explain health officials at Drugs.com. Numbness due to frostbite causes the affected body region to become insensitive to touch, which can also be accompanied by swelling or sensations of heaviness or coldness, warn HHS-IHS officials.
Pale and Hard Skin
Skin exposed to below-freezing temperatures can become abnormally pale or hard due to frostbite, explains The Ohio State University in its Agricultural Safety Program curriculum. These effects of frostbite typically arise when the blood vessels beneath the skin freeze, cutting off blood and oxygen circulation to the affected body region.
Blisters or Gangrene
Prolonged or extreme exposure to below-freezing temperatures can lead to permanent skin and tissue damage in certain people. Severe frostbite can cause purple, blood-filled blisters to form on the affected skin, which may form dark-colored scabs that flake off, warns HHS-IHS. If the flow of blood and oxygen to your skin is cut off for too long, your skin tissue can die and become black and gangrenous. Depending upon the extent of skin affected by frostbite, you may need to have the damaged skin or tissue removed (amputated) to protect the remaining healthy parts of your skin and body.
