For milder cases of frostbite, a nonprescription pain reliever can help reduce pain and inflammation. Take all medications - antibiotics or pain medicine - as prescribed by your doctor.Some patients show improved symptoms after this therapy. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized room. People who have experienced severe frostbite may in time need surgery or amputation to remove dead or decaying tissue. A variety of wound care techniques may be used, depending on the extent of injury. But these drugs can cause serious bleeding and are typically used only in the most serious situations and within 24 hours of exposure. Studies of people with severe frostbite show that TPA lowers the risk of amputation. You may receive an intravenous (IV) injection of a drug that helps restore blood flow (thrombolytic), such as tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). If the skin or blisters appear infected, your doctor may prescribe oral antibiotics. You may be encouraged to gently move the affected area. Soaking in a whirlpool bath (hydrotherapy) can aid healing by keeping skin clean and naturally removing dead tissue. Whirlpool therapy or physical therapy.To better distinguish between healthy and dead tissue, your doctor may wait 1 to 3 months before removing damaged tissue. To heal properly, frostbitten skin needs to be free of damaged, dead or infected tissue. Removal of damaged tissue (debridement).And you may need to elevate the affected area to reduce swelling. Or the doctor may protect your fingers or toes as they thaw by gently separating them from each other. Once the skin thaws, your doctor may loosely wrap the area with sterile sheets, towels or dressings to protect the skin. Because the rewarming process can be painful, your doctor will likely give you a drug to ease the pain. You may be encouraged to gently move the affected area as it rewarms. If the skin hasn't been rewarmed already, your doctor will rewarm the area using a warm-water bath for 15 to 30 minutes. For all other frostbite, after appropriate first aid and assessment for hypothermia, medical treatment may involve rewarming, medications, wound care, surgery and various therapies, depending on the severity of the injury. Mild frostbite (frostnip) can be treated at home with first-aid care. " certain patients with diabetes, patients who have previous history of frostbite are prone to it, the elderly or your very young children, and also, for example, if you're dehydrated," he says. The worst cases, the tissue can die, and you may need surgery to remove it. And you can get these blisters on your hands. "Initially the milder forms, you can get some pain and some numbness of the tips, but the skin can change its color," Dr. The most vulnerable areas of frostbite are your nose, ears, fingers and toes. If the windchill drops below negative 15 degrees Fahrenheit, not unheard of in the northern half of the U.S., frostbite can set in within half an hour. "We tend to see frostbite, for example, when the temperature is 5 degrees Fahrenheit with minimal windchill," Dr. Sanj Kakar Mayo Clinic Orthopedic hand and wrist surgeon says frostbite is more common than many people think. "Literally think of it as freezing of the tissues," Dr. As winter drags on and temperatures drop way down, your risk of cold-related injury like frostbite can go way up.
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