PLAYING SPORT IN THE COLD? LET'S SEE HOW TO TREAT AND PREVENT THE FROSTBITES

Today we speak with Dr. Giorgio Martini, - pharmacist, nutrition biologist, doctor in the sector of fitness and health products and in nutritional science -, about a common problem for athletes who practice sport in winter with cold temperatures: the frostbite, a medical damage caused to skin by freezing. 

 

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Frostbite is a word that comes from frost and represents an injury caused by an inadequate blood circulation when the ambient temperature is below freezing point. The skin reaction is redness, inflammation, pain and edema, extended into the end of limbs.

We can divide three types of frostbites, according to the type of freezing:
- Frostnip is a superficial cooling of tissues without cellular destruction. It occurs to the fingers, toes or ears. You get a weird tingling sensations but later the temperature becomes normal. The skin is red and blotchy.
- Light frostbite: includes also the face, especially nose and chin. The skin colour is between white and grey.
- Deep frostbite: the limbs are insensitive, hard and rigid, reaching also a real freezing with evidence of necrosis. The skin is dark.

You can start feeling a frostbite even with a temperature of +6°C. The areas of the body which are suffering the cold temperature are the most exposed because they are not so protected by muscle and tissue (fingers, toes, nose, chin, ears) and also if dress and shoes are too tight.

If you know to suffer the cold temperature and if you have problems with blood flow, you can use some remedies for increasing this flow: a natural anti- cyanosis solution is the cranberry, or a heparin-containing regimen for chemical treatment.
In technical terms, you have a venous insufficiency! To prevent this trouble, you can use also extracts of the horse chestnut, pennywort, witch hazel. Ointments and lotions that really help are those based on arnica and chili.
On damaged or irritated skin, you can apply the calendula based ointment, Hypericum oil or Tea tree oil.

From the nutrition point of view is recommended to take the Vitamin C and E, and also mineral substances such as cobalt and manganese.

In case of emergency, maybe while skiing, you should free dress or shoes too tight, also the belt and the rings. You could then move the arms back and forth such as hugging someone, getting your body warmed up. You can also warm your fingers putting your hands under the armpits or between your legs. Try to move the toes into the shoes and if your clothes are wet, change them as soon as possible and take hot and sweet drinks. The skin will surely return to its natural colour and you will have better sensations in fingers and toes, without tingling or numbness. A new exposure to the cold should be avoided.

If the frostbite is deep, do not walk preventing the opening of blisters. Feet can be covered with a sterile bandage before going to the doctor!

There are useful warmers for hands and feet. Warmers are small packets that produce heat on demand to warm cold hands or feet. Depending on the type and the source of heat, these warmers can last from 30 minutes up to 1 hour. Crystallisation types of hand warmer generate heat through the exothermic crystallisation of supersaturated solutions and are usually reusable, recharging them in very hot water until the contents are uniformly fluid.
Another type is the air activated warmers. Air activated warmers contain cellulose, iron, water, activated carbon, vermiculite and salt and produce heat from the exothermic oxidation of iron when exposed to air. They typically emit heat for longer. They are disposable, practical and light to bring with you during your sport activities. 

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