How To Get Rid Of Frostbite 
The earliest known documented evidence of frostbite is a 5000-year-old mummy, pre-Columbian, that was discovered in the mountains of Chile. However, it wasn't until centuries later, in 1812, when Baron Dominique Larrey, Napoleon's surgeon general, provided the first descriptions of how frostbite happens. While it was mostly military soldiers who were reported to suffer frostbite, it has become common for civilians to get the same problem as well. Most people who get it are males aged 10-49 years old. What's more, everyone is susceptible to frostbite, even those who are used to living in cold climates.Cold Day in HellFrostbite happens when body tissues freeze. Such a thing usually occurs when you expose a part of your body to temperatures just below the skin's freezing point, usually below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Since frostbite attacks those parts of your body that are exposed to the atmosphere, most cases of frostbite are concentrated on your ears, nose, hands, and feet.So, how does frostbite occur?When your body gets exposed to the cold at a prolonged period of time, the body sends signals to your brain telling it to slow the blood flow to the skin by constricting the blood vessels. By slowing down the blood flow, your body is able to allocate more blood to the vital organs, giving them critical nutrients. Restricting blood flow to the skin also prevents further decrease of the internal body temperature by exposing less blood to the cold.As the exposed parts become colder and colder, the hunter's response is initiated. In this condition, your blood vessels dilate and then constrict at a set period. The cycle of dilation and constriction are timed with each other in order to preserve as much function to the exposed parts as possible. However, when the brain senses that hypothermia is starting to set in (which happens below 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), then the brain permanently constricts the blood vessels so that cold blood will not go back to your internal organs. Frostbite then happens.Two different means cause frostbite: one is the cell death when the body part is exposed, and the other is further cell deterioration due to the lack of oxygen. In the first means, ice crystals form in the spaces that are outside the cells. As a result, water is lost from the interior of the cell and dehydration sets in.Damaged lining of the blood vessels is the culprit for the second means. During the phase when your body rewarms, blood flows back to the extremities. When the blood vessels are damaged, blood leaks out into the tissues. As a result, flow is impeded and small clots begin to form. Inflammation usually happens and this injury will be the main factor of the extent of tissue damage you will have in the end.Getting Rid of FrostbiteWhen you suspect that you or someone else has frostbite, these are the things you should do:
How To Get Rid Of Frostbite
The earliest known documented evidence of frostbite is a 5000-year-old mummy, pre-Columbian, that was discovered in the mountains of Chile. However, it wasn't until centuries later, in 1812, when Baron Dominique Larrey, Napoleon's surgeon general, provided the first descriptions of how frostbite happens. While it was mostly military soldiers who were reported to suffer frostbite, it has become common for civilians to get the same problem as well. Most people who get it are males aged 10-49 years old. What's more, everyone is susceptible to frostbite, even those who are used to living in cold climates.Cold Day in HellFrostbite happens when body tissues freeze. Such a thing usually occurs when you expose a part of your body to temperatures just below the skin's freezing point, usually below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Since frostbite attacks those parts of your body that are exposed to the atmosphere, most cases of frostbite are concentrated on your ears, nose, hands, and feet.So, how does frostbite occur?When your body gets exposed to the cold at a prolonged period of time, the body sends signals to your brain telling it to slow the blood flow to the skin by constricting the blood vessels. By slowing down the blood flow, your body is able to allocate more blood to the vital organs, giving them critical nutrients. Restricting blood flow to the skin also prevents further decrease of the internal body temperature by exposing less blood to the cold.As the exposed parts become colder and colder, the hunter's response is initiated. In this condition, your blood vessels dilate and then constrict at a set period. The cycle of dilation and constriction are timed with each other in order to preserve as much function to the exposed parts as possible. However, when the brain senses that hypothermia is starting to set in (which happens below 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), then the brain permanently constricts the blood vessels so that cold blood will not go back to your internal organs. Frostbite then happens.Two different means cause frostbite: one is the cell death when the body part is exposed, and the other is further cell deterioration due to the lack of oxygen. In the first means, ice crystals form in the spaces that are outside the cells. As a result, water is lost from the interior of the cell and dehydration sets in.Damaged lining of the blood vessels is the culprit for the second means. During the phase when your body rewarms, blood flows back to the extremities. When the blood vessels are damaged, blood leaks out into the tissues. As a result, flow is impeded and small clots begin to form. Inflammation usually happens and this injury will be the main factor of the extent of tissue damage you will have in the end.Getting Rid of FrostbiteWhen you suspect that you or someone else has frostbite, these are the things you should do:
- Get medical help immediately. Frostbite is a serious medical condition. Get to a hospital, as soon as possible. Keep in mind that the final amount of tissues that will be damaged is proportional to the time they remain frozen and not the absolute temperature they were exposed to. Rapid transport to a hospital is therefore important.While waiting for medical professionals to do their jobs, you can start by warming the frostbitten area with lukewarm water—don't use hot water. For areas where it is not possible or practical to immerse them in lukewarm water, warm them up by covering them with dry covers such as gloves or towels.
- Keep the affected part elevated. Elevating the frostbitten area will reduce the swelling. Make sure that you do this once you've thawed it out, though.
- Get out of the cold. It might seem like common sense but getting out of the cold and into someplace warm is important to lessen the effect of frostbite, as well as to prevent further body heat loss.
- Remove accessories. Remove jewelry and any other clothes that may further restrict or even block blood flow.
- Avoid thaw-freeze-thaw cycle. Refreezing of a frostbitten area worsen the damage already incurred by the area. If you've managed to thaw out an affected area, take measures to make sure it does not refreeze. Wrap it with a dry cloth. If you're sure that a frostbitten area will only freeze again if you thaw it out, then it's better to just let the area be until you can be in a place where it will not freeze again.
- Warm yourself up. Drink a warm cup of something that is non-alcoholic and decaffeinated. It will serve to add heat to your body, helping in the warming process.
- Do not rub the affected area. Avoid any form of activity that will induce friction on the affected part. Don't slap or shake the region as the ice crystals that are in the frostbitten skin can and will damage the surrounding tissue. Avoid running snow on it. Also, if the affected area is the hands or feet, apply dry, sterile bandage in between the toes or fingers to prevent rubbing.
- Avoid gradual thawing. If you can thaw the affected area right away, then do so. Otherwise, keep the area from thawing slowly while en route to the hospital, where proper rewarming can be done.
- Watch out for hypothermia. People who get frostbitten may also experience hypothermia. If this is the case, treat hypothermia as a priority. It is better to lose a finger or a limb than your whole life because you were focused on the frostbite.
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