What are frostbite and frostnip in children?
Frostbite is damage to parts of the body from freezing. It occurs when ice crystals form in the skin or in deeper tissue. The most common sites for frostbite are the fingers, toes, ears, nose, chin, and cheeks. Frostbite can cause serious injury and needs attention right away. It can cause long-lasting (permanent) tissue damage.
Frostnip is a mild form of frostbite. It does not cause permanent tissue damage. And in many cases it can be treated at home.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Frostbite?
Children with frostbite get white, waxy skin that feels numb and hard.
Anyone can get frostbite, but kids are at greater risk for it than adults because:
- Kids lose heat from their skin faster.
- Kids often don’t want to leave their winter fun to go inside and warm up.
How Is Frostbite Treated?
- Call the doctor right away or take your child to a hospital emergency room.
- If the feet are affected, carry your child. Do not let your child walk on frostbitten feet.
- Get your child into dry clothing in a warm environment.
If you can’t get to a hospital right away or must wait for an ambulance, give your child a warm drink and begin first-aid treatment:
- Do not thaw the frostbitten area if it’s at risk for refreezing before you get to a health care provider. Skin that is thawed then refrozen again can cause severe tissue damage.
- Put frozen areas in warm water (around 100°F [38°C]). If warm water is not available, wrap your child gently in warm blankets or use your body heat on the affected area.
- Do not use direct heat such as a fire or heating pad. The skin may be numb and can burn easily.
- Do not rub frostbitten skin or rub snow on it.
- Rewarming will bring on a burning sensation. Skin may blister and swell and may turn red, blue, or purple. When skin is pink and no longer numb, the area is thawed.
- If you have sterile dressings, put them on the area (be sure it’s not too tight), placing it between fingers and toes if they are affected. Try not to disturb any blisters and keep the wound areas clean to prevent infection.
- Wrap rewarmed areas to prevent refreezing, and have your child keep thawed areas as still as possible. If you have the proper first-aid training, splinting the affected area can help reduce the risk of further injury.