Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Frostbite
Frostbite is an injury to the body that is caused by freezing. It most often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes. Frostbite can permanently damage the body, and severe cases can lead to amputation.
If you have frostbite, the skin in that area may turn white or grayish-yellow. It may feel firm or waxy when you touch it. The area will also feel numb.
If you have symptoms of frostbite, seek medical care. But if immediate medical care isn't available, here are steps to take:
- Get into a warm room as soon as possible.
- If possible, do not walk on frostbitten feet or toes. Walking increases the damage.
- Put the affected area in warm - not hot - water.
- You can also warm the affected area using body heat. For example, use your armpit to warm frostbitten fingers.
- Don't rub the frostbitten area with snow or massage it at all. This can cause more damage.
- Don't use a heating pad, heat lamp, or the heat of a stove, fireplace, or radiator for warming. Since frostbite makes an area numb, you could burn it.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
It sits within Injuries and Wounds and Symptoms.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Frostbite
18 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Emerging Indications for Hyperbaric Oxygen TreatmentJay C. Buckey Jr.
- Assessment of Chilbains Occuring During Covid-19 InfectionCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice
- Field Study on Intravenous Iloprost for Treatment of Severe Frostbite at High AltitudeInstitute of Mountain Emergency Medicine
- Epoprostenol Plus Conventional Therapy in COld and Frostbite Injury (ECCO)University of Colorado, Denver
- Prevention and Treatment of Frostbite Infection With Antimicrobial Pharmacokinetic AnalysisUniversity of Colorado, Denver
Research already completed
- Comparison of ICG Microangiography and Conventional Angiography in Severe FrostbiteHealthPartners Institute
- Multicenter Sous Vide FrostbiteDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
- COVID-19 and ChilblainsRennes University Hospital
- Assessment of Vasomotion of People With Idiopathic ChilblainsUniversity of Thessaly
- Safety of a Sheath Cryoprobe Bronchoscopic Transbronchial Biopsy TechniqueJohns Hopkins University
- Analysis of Chilblains pROfile During coVID-19 Epidemic (ACROVID)Poitiers University Hospital
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- FrostbiteMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Treatments and Therapies
- Frostbite, First AidVisualDX
- Frostbite: First AidMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Avoid Frostbite and HypothermiaNational Safety Council
- Cold Stress Can Be PreventedOccupational Safety and Health Administration
- Preventing FrostbiteCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Preventing Trench Foot or Immersion FootCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Related Issues
- Physical AllergyMerck & Co., Inc.
- Working in the ColdNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: FrostbiteNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Frostbite. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Frostbite, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.