Frosts are an insidious thing. It seems he recently went outside and wandered for a short while, and his fingers are already white and badly bent. With annual cold weather - even predicted by weather forecasters, though, as always, unexpected - it is worth knowing what to do if you frostbitten your fingers or toes. Actually, the quality of further life depends on this.
Causes of trouble
Low winter temperatures affect the whole body. But above all, on the circulatory system. The vessels narrow, and sharply, spasmodically. And since through them there is a blood supply to all other organs, they also begin to undergo pathological changes, which often end in death.
At the same time, one must be aware that the temperature outside the window should not fall to some unimaginable values. Weather is a complex of circumstances: with zero air and high humidity, and even with a sharp steady wind from the north, it is quite possible to freeze, and even be surprised at this fact.
The most frequently affected "details" of the body
Unprotected clothing parts of the body are most susceptible to frostbite. That is, frankly, a person. And on it, first of all, a nose. Protecting it from the effects of frost is almost impossible, so if you feel that the tip of the "snuffer" is numb and does not move when you try to move it, rub it. Not with snow, just with your hand (you can use a mitten, but not a leather glove).
The second most affected organ is the hands. Even if they are protected by gloves, mittens, mittens, sometimes you have to strip them. And all kinds of clothes for them are not too warm. Yet hands are the most active human instrument of what to do. If you frostbitten your fingers, consider it actually disappeared. So you need to take care of them especially diligently.
Danger signs
Upper extremities can be frozen even with precautions. Let the gloves be put on your hands (mittens, mittens), but if you played snowballs or sculpted a snowman, they have already become wet under the influence of the heat of your body. And if the next way is not home, where it is warm and you can use the battery, then during the next walk you have every chance to think about what to do if you frostbitten your fingers.
The main symptom is a partial loss of sensation. The skin turns white (in some people it acquires the color of all the colors of the rainbow, but purple predominates). Fingers do not bend well - to undo a button is already a problem. And if you do not want to learn how to treat frostbitten fingers, catch yourself ahead of time - prevention is always better than treatment.
Serious symptoms
The limbs initially experience discomfort - tingling, burning sensation. If frostbite is not serious, after a few days no serious consequences will be observed, but get ready for the skin to begin to peel off. In more severe cases, you can’t move your brushes at all. And if your fingertips turn blue and do not respond to rubbing, it’s bad. In such a situation, the question of what to do if frostbitten fingers is no longer raised: we immediately run to the hospital.
Household frostbite
A child will cope with it. The main thing in this case is heat. First of all, the house should have a temperature above 25, hot (sweet!) Tea and baths for frost-damaged limbs. The most interesting thing is that the latter should be cool: they begin to warm degrees from thirty and gradually bring to forty, but no more.
If a person froze a finger on his hand, but neither blisters nor dead skin areas appeared, such actions will be enough. You can rub the injured limbs a little more - without agiotage and gently. If the case is not too advanced, blood circulation will be restored. But if within 20 minutes no improvement has come, it is time to take more drastic measures.
What can not be categorically
Stereotypes live long, and die with great difficulty. Many still think that rubbing with snow is a panacea. But this is not so! With this process, the skin is injured, albeit at the level of small scratches, but infections and microbes get through them, from which your health is by no means strengthened.
Diligently rubbing frostbitten skin is also not worth it for the same reasons. And coarse fabrics should also not be used for rubbing - the skin will suffer. So if a person froze his fingers, what should I do? You can do it yourself, the main thing is not to harm yourself.
Hot water is also harmful in case of frostbite. With subcooling, a hot bath is indispensable, but if individual parts of the body are affected, it can only do even more damage, especially to the vessels. Normal blood circulation should be restored slowly, slowly and slowly, otherwise you run the risk of getting skin necrosis, and the treatment will be delayed for a long time.
Another very common mistake: when people think about how to treat frostbitten fingers, they boldly and no doubt begin to smear them with fat or oil. This cannot be done in any way! Such a layer impedes the flow of air through the pores of the skin, disrupts its heat transfer. As a result, we have another factor contributing to necrosis.
Prevention is our everything
In order not to panic: “I froze my fingers, what should I do ?!”, it is better to take preventive measures. The simplest of them - shortly before going out to smear your hands (and at the same time your face - it suffers from frost much more) with an anti-frost or at least just greasy cream. Moreover, after lubrication should pass at least 10 minutes, so that the protection has time to absorb.
In order not to affect other parts of the body, it is worth preoccupying multilayer. You should be wearing thin, but two or three sweaters - the layer of air between them is much warmer than one thick clothes.
Winter shoes are better to buy half the size or size larger than your foot. Firstly, all the same insulating air, and secondly - the ability to wear extra socks.
The following advice is good not only for the prevention of frostbite, but also in the sense of general health: do not smoke or drink alcohol on the street. Vascular tapering from this reduces resistance to hypothermia and impedes sensory perception of the moment when it is time to sound the alarm. You can tolerate "nicotine starvation" even to the moment when you get into warmer conditions.
Take care of yourself, watch your feelings, move more intensively on a cold street - and you won’t have to treat frostbite!