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| Wednesday December 02, 2009 | Accessibility help | Text only | Print | Send to a friend | Make this my homepage | Contact Us | Help |
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Frostbite |
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If our core temperatures start to fall, our bodies do what they can to preserve heat. One of the effects of this process is frostbite.
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When the body becomes cold its priority is to keep the heart, lungs and other main internal organs working. To preserve energy it tries to shut down the heat supply to the hands and feet and other extremities. Slow this right down and parts of the body can actually freeze.
Heat is transported around the body by the blood supply. Slow this right down and parts of the body can actually freeze. This is frostbite and is extremely dangerous.
After venturing into a cold night, you can sometimes feel a slight pain on your ears. This is the mildest form of frostbite - your ear has been nipped, only the outside skin has frozen. In extreme cases the tissue can be frozen right into the muscle. Simply defrosting the area is not a cure - the cells are generally broken and the skin becomes black and dead. The pain starts when the blood flow returns.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not feel pain when getting frostbite as the skin will already be numb. The pain starts when the blood flow returns. People who do venture outdoors in exceptionally cold conditions need to ensure they check each others faces regularly.
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