Chilblains - Medtick
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Chilblains

What is it?

When the skin is cold, blood vessels near its surface get narrower. If the skin is then exposed to heat, the blood vessels become wider.

  • If this change in blood vessel shape occurs to quickly, blood vessels near the surface of the skin can’t always handle the increased blood flow.
  • This can cause blood to leak into the surrounding tissue, which may cause the swelling and itchiness.

Cause

  • Family history of chilblains
  • Exposure to cold, damp or draughty conditions (winter periods)
  • Poor diet or low body weight
  • Smoking
  • Lupus
  • Blood vessel disorders
  • Poor circulation
  • Areas of the feet that are exposed to pressure, such as a bunion or a toe that’s squeezed by tight shoes
  • Raynaud’s Disease (Circulation Disorder)

Syndromes

Symptoms

After being exposed to the cold:

  • Burning and itching on hands and/or feet?
  • Change of skin colour (red to dark blue) on hands and/or feet?
  • Swelling on hands and/or feet?
  • Sore hands and/or feet?
  • Blisters on hands and/or feet?
  • Cold hand and feet which can be numb and painful?
  • Any extreme sensitive skin or burning sensation?

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Do not wait, phone for an ambulance if have or develop:

This condition can lead to:

  • Skin infection (blistered or scratched skin)
  • Skin Ulcers
  • Skin discoloration
  • Skin scarring

Treatment

  • If your skin gets cold, it’s important to warm it up gradually.
  • Heating the skin too quickly, for example by placing your feet in hot water or near a heater, is one of the main causes of chilblains.

NHS Choices

  • One can use anti-histamines (if suitable) and/or calamine lotion (if suitable) to calm the skin down if its it itchy and/or sore.
  • There are further medications that can be prescribed by your Medical Doctor after they have conducted a further investigation to rule out any underlying cause.

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Chilblains in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

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