Do chilblains hurt?

Written by Xie Ming Feng
Dermatology
Updated on September 27, 2024
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Frostbite occurs due to cold, causing the small arteries at the distal parts of our body to constrict, become paralyzed and spasm, leading to venous congestion and poor local blood circulation. Therefore, patients generally have symptoms such as itching and pain. Minor cases primarily present with itching which worsens with heat, while severe cases may mainly experience pain, especially when severe blisters, ulcerations, and further increased pain occur. If there is pain due to local frostbite, topical application of traditional Chinese medicine ointments that warm, expel cold, promote blood circulation, and relieve pain, or frostbite creams, capsicum tincture, etc., can be used.

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Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
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How to prevent frostbite

Frostbite is a skin disease caused by local skin inflammation due to cold weather. Therefore, it is crucial to prevent frostbite by avoiding prolonged exposure to cold, low-temperature environments. If it is necessary to be in such environments, it is essential to keep both the local areas and the entire body warm. You can wear hats, earmuffs, and gloves, and put on thicker shoes and socks. However, shoes, socks, and gloves should not be too tight, as overly tight clothing can also lead to frostbite.

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Written by Xie Ming Feng
Dermatology
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How to treat frostbite in summer?

Chilblains usually occur in early winter and early spring. Therefore, treating chilblains in summer is mainly to prevent recurrence in winter. The routine mainly involves physical exercise. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine treatment, there is a concept of treating winter diseases in summer. You can use some Chinese herbal medicines that warm and promote circulation, activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and unblock collaterals to relieve pain. These herbs can be decocted and used for foot soaks over a period, which helps to prevent the occurrence of chilblains in winter.

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Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
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Frostbite is caused by how?

Chilblains is a condition many people have suffered from, especially prone to occur in winter. The main cause is due to poor cold resistance of the skin, coupled with low temperatures, which causes the peripheral skin blood vessels to constrict or spasm. This leads to local circulatory disturbances and tissue damage. Therefore, after developing chilblains, symptoms such as itching and pain are common, and it is essential to treat them promptly with medication.

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Written by Xie Ming Feng
Dermatology
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How to quickly form a scab when frostbite festers?

Frostbite, if the freezing duration is long, the local tissues will become more hypoxic and the cells will be severely damaged. At this point, local blisters, ruptures, erosion, and ulcers may occur. To quickly form a scab at this time, we should operate as follows: first, keep the local area as dry as possible; second, use astringent, drying, and anti-inflammatory ointments on the ruptured areas, such as boric acid ointment, boric acid zinc oxide menthol ointment, erythromycin ointment, mupirocin ointment, etc.

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Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
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Can ginger be used to rub on frostbite?

If the skin is not broken or ruptured after suffering from frostbite, ginger can be used to rub the affected area. However, the effectiveness of using ginger is not particularly good. But if the skin affected by frostbite is clearly broken or ruptured, ginger should not be used. Using ginger in such cases can cause severe irritation to the affected skin, which may likely lead to a secondary bacterial infection. It is recommended for patients suffering from frostbite to use some ointments that help improve local circulation.