Know About Frost-Bite & Treatment

Most of us go camping in the summer and never think about the hazards of winter camping. However, if you travel or live in the upper northern United States or Canada, or other countries where cold weather can mean life or death, depending on your actions this topic may be of interest to you.

Frostbite is the freezing of some part of your body. The first sensation of frostbite is numbness, instead of pain. The skin area will be grayish or yellow-whitish, and this often happens before you notice it. If your with someone else get in the habit of watching each other for visible signs of frostbite, or if your alone keep feeling your face and ears for stiffness.

If the freezing is only minor and local, a cupped warm hand will thaw it out, otherwise try to get into a heated shelter as quickly as possible. When only the surface skin is frozen and becomes spongy to the touch, it can be rewarmed by body heat. If the toes and feet are superficially frozen and you have a friend along use that persons warm abdomen to thaw them out. If the frostbite is deeper kill an animal and open it up and thrust your feet into the hot interior.

If deeper tissues are involved the thawing process must take place quickly. Because the refreezing of a thawed part means the certain loss of tissue, and when this is the case it is better to continue with a frozen part for a reasonable length of time rather then to thaw it and end up having it refreeze again. However, in any event thawing needs to be done as quickly as possible.

Warm the frozen parts rapidly. Frozen members should be thawed in warm water that is between 105 degrees and 110 degrees. If warm water is not available, wrap the frozen part in blankets or clothing, or apply heat packs or even stones warmed in a fire. Thawed extremities should be immobilized. Use body heat whenever possible to aid in thawing. Hold a bare, warm palm against frozen ears or parts of the face. Grasp a frostbitten wrist with the other warm, bare hand. Hold frostbitten fingers against your chest or under your armpits, or between your legs close to groin.

When frostbite is accompanied by breaks in the skin, apply sterile dressing. Do not use strong antiseptics such as tincture of iodine or powdered sulfa drugs in the wound.

Never forcibly remove frozen shoes or mittens. Place in lukewarm water or thaw in front of a campfire, and then take them off gently. Also never rub frostbite. You could tear frozen tissues and cause additional damage. Also never use any old fashioned custom of applying snow or ice, in very cold weather. The effect would be the same as scrubbing a warm cheek with sand and gravel. And never ever make the terrible mistake of trying to thaw the frozen parts in cold gasoline, oil, or alcohol at subzero temperatures just because they are liquid. The object is to try and save your skin or limbs not destroy them.

Please feel free to add to this or offer your opinions on the subject. If you ever had any frostbite please share your experiences here.