Table of contents:
- What is frostbite?
- Why can ice cubes burn skin?
- Frostbite signs and symptoms
- Is frostbite dangerous?
You may have experienced sunburns quite often. However, did you know that the cold temperature of the ice can also cause the same thing? It is so cold, sometimes the skin can become inflamed, causing a burning sensation after touching an ice cube. This condition is referred to as frostbite or ice burn .
What is frostbite?
Hot and cold temperatures can both affect skin health. If you are grasping ice cubes or exposed to very cold wind and the skin immediately becomes inflamed, then you may have frostbite (ice burn or frostbite).
Frostbite is a condition when body tissue freezes and is damaged by exposure to low temperatures (cold). At first, the skin will feel very cold, reddish, sore, and gradually numb. This generally occurs in the hands, feet, nose, and ears, because these body parts are often unprotected by clothing, making them more susceptible to external temperature changes.
A burning sensation similar to skin burns usually occurs after prolonged exposure to extremely low temperature objects. For example, when you hold an ice cube for too long or immediately apply an ice cube to a sprained leg without wrapping it with a cloth first. The cold temperature of the ice can trigger sunburn and redness in the aftermath.
Why can ice cubes burn skin?
Source: Medical News Today
When experiencing muscle cramps or injury, ice packs are usually the most commonly used first aid. This method can indeed help relax stiff muscles. However, if you apply it directly to the skin without wrapping it with a cloth first, then your skin can become inflamed.
This can occur due to differences in temperature on the skin and on the ice. The skin temperature tends to be warm, while the ice temperature is very low, aka cold. When the ice cubes come into contact with the surface of the skin, the heat on the skin can only be released for a moment.
As a result, the water content in the skin cells freezes and begins to damage the underlying cell structure. The cold temperature of the ice also makes the blood vessels near the skin begin to constrict.
This causes less blood flow to the inflamed area of the skin and worsens the damage to the skin. The skin also felt stinging like it was burning.
Frostbite signs and symptoms
People who often handle ice cubes, especially dry ice, aka prickly heat, are certainly more at risk of developing frostbite. Not only because of ice cubes, this can also happen if you are exposed to very cold, fast, and long winds.
Basically, the symptoms of sunburn from ice are similar to those from sunburn. The easiest way to detect it is by looking for changes in skin color. For example, the skin can turn reddish, but it can also turn pale white or grayish yellow.
Other signs and symptoms of frostbite include:
- Cold and stinging skin
- Itchy and painful skin
- The skin texture becomes harder or it becomes soft like wax
- Numbness or numbness
Is frostbite dangerous?
As with sunburn, inflamed skin from exposure to ice cubes is generally easy to treat. For example, mild frostbite or frostnip is less likely to cause permanent skin damage.
You can treat this skin problem by soaking it in warm water for 20 minutes. After that, wrap the infected skin area with a warm cloth so that the skin temperature stabilizes more quickly.
However, if your skin feels even more sore and inflamed, this means that the cold temperature of the ice has started to damage the skin deeper into the tissue, muscle, or even bone.
Severe frostbite can lead to complications in the form of infection and further nerve damage if not treated quickly. So, immediately consult a doctor if you experience it.
