It is damaging because blood vessels – those in the fingers, toes and face are most often affected – tighten up as they get cold in order to keep warmth in the centre of the body and protect the vital organs. In Finland, where temperatures drop as low as -30☌ (-22☏), as many as one in eight people may get it in any given year, according to past research. People with frostbite should get to a warm area, take off wet clothing and gradually warm the frostbitten body parts, ideally in water heated to around 40☌ (104☏).įrostbite is common but exact numbers are unknown and rates vary depending on where people live. If it takes too long to get to warmth, the tissue may start to die because of the lack of oxygen, which can lead to gangrene or infection and may even mean someone needs amputation or could die. This causes numbness, pain and redness and it can only be stopped by rewarming the area. When the body is cold, blood vessels in the fingers, toes, cheeks and nose, for example, constrict to reduce blood flow and channel heat towards the vital organs.Īs a result, the affected areas become cold and oxygen deprived, and tissue inside them may eventually freeze if they aren't kept warm. Frostbite occurs when body tissue freezes because it is exposed to temperatures below -0.55☌ (31☏).
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