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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes. Chilblains are recognised by how they look and when they appeared, and a doctor can assess them on camera.
- What they are: small itchy or burning patches, red or purple, on the toes or fingers a few hours after time in cold, damp weather.
- Usual course: they usually go away on their own within 2 to 3 weeks, but they can come back each winter.
- See a doctor: if they have not healed after 2 to 3 weeks, keep coming back or ooze pus, or if you have diabetes.
- Emergency: call 112 for skin that is hard and frozen, numb or blistered after freezing cold, which can mean frostbite.
Do not book a video appointment if skin that was exposed to freezing cold is hard, white, grey-blue or blotchy, has lost feeling, or has blisters filled with blood or milky fluid. These are signs of frostbite. Constant shivering, slurred speech or confusion after the cold can mean hypothermia. Call 112 for either.
Can an online doctor treat chilblains?
Yes. Chilblains are recognised by how they look and when they appeared, and both work by video. The doctor looks at the skin on camera, asks about the cold before they started, and checks for infection, diabetes and the conditions that make chilblains more likely or slower to heal. Most chilblains settle with warmth and time, and the doctor tells you when you need tests in person.
How an online consultation helps with chilblains
- Frostbite ruled out first: Hard, frozen, numb or blistered skin after freezing cold needs emergency care, so the doctor checks for it before anything else.
- The skin seen on camera: Colour, swelling, blisters and breaks in the skin show how severe the chilblains are and whether they are healing.
- Infection and diabetes checked: Pus, a fever or diabetes change the plan, because foot problems can become more serious.
- A plan to stop them coming back: How to keep warm, what to avoid, and when tests or a medicine to improve blood flow make sense.
What the doctor checks in an online chilblains consultation
The consultation follows a fixed order, and the warning signs come first. The doctor asks about:
- Warning signs: skin that is hard, white or numb after freezing cold, blisters, pus, or a high temperature.
- The chilblains: where they are, when they appeared, and whether they itch, burn or hurt.
- The cold: time outdoors, wet clothes or footwear, and how you warmed up afterwards.
- Your health: diabetes, circulation problems, Raynaud’s phenomenon, lupus or other conditions, and whether you smoke.
- Your medicines: including decongestants, which narrow blood vessels.
Before the call, let your hands or feet warm up slowly at room temperature, and find good light so the doctor can see the skin.
What are chilblains?
Chilblains, also called pernio, are small, itchy and often painful patches that appear on the skin after time in cold, damp conditions. They are a local inflammation of the small blood vessels. The exact cause is not known, but the main trigger is an abnormal reaction to cold followed by warming up: cold narrows the small blood vessels in the fingers and toes, and when the skin warms up, the vessels near the surface widen while the deeper ones stay narrow. This causes the itching, pain and colour changes, and warming up too fast, next to a fire or with a hot water bottle, makes it more likely.
Chilblains are a problem of damp, temperate climates rather than very cold, dry countries. They peak in late winter and early spring, when it is wet but above freezing.
Chilblains follow cold that is not freezing. When skin actually freezes, the injury is frostbite, which needs emergency care.
Chilblains symptoms
Chilblains usually appear a few hours after time in the cold:
- itchy or burning patches of skin
- red or purple patches; on brown and black skin the redness can be harder to see
- swelling and tenderness
- in severe cases, blisters or small breaks in the skin
They usually affect the toes and fingers, and they can also appear on the ears, the face and the legs. Horse riders can get them on the thighs and hips. On the feet, they often form where shoes press, such as a second toe squeezed by a tight shoe. Each patch lasts more than a day, which helps tell chilblains apart from Raynaud’s and cold urticaria, which come and go within hours. Swollen patches can dry out and crack, and chilblains that come back every winter for years can leave scarring and thin skin.
How long do chilblains last?
Chilblains usually go away on their own within 2 to 3 weeks. They can come back after more time in the cold, and some people get them every winter. Keeping warm and avoiding sudden changes of temperature makes a new episode less likely.
Chilblains or something else?
Frostbite, Raynaud’s, cold urticaria, chilblain lupus and COVID toes can all be mistaken for chilblains or appear alongside them:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Condition | What points to it | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Chilblains | Itchy, red or purple patches hours after cold, damp weather that heal within weeks | This page |
| Frostbite | Skin that froze: hard, white, grey-blue or blotchy, numb, sometimes with blisters | Frostbite |
| Raynaud’s phenomenon | Fingers or toes that turn white, then blue, then red in the cold or with stress, with numbness, for minutes to hours | Ask the doctor |
| Cold urticaria | Itchy welts 2 to 5 minutes after cold that fade within 1 to 2 hours | Cold urticaria |
| Chilblain-like patches without cold | Patches on the toes with no cold exposure, sometimes after COVID-19 | COVID-19 |
| Chilblain lupus | Chilblains that last for months, or come with joint pain, rashes elsewhere or tiredness | Blood tests and a specialist review |
| Cellulitis | Red, hot, painful skin that spreads, often with a fever | Cellulitis |
Chilblains or Raynaud’s?
Raynaud’s makes chilblains more likely, but the two behave differently:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What differs | Chilblains | Raynaud’s phenomenon |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | Itchy or burning red or purple swellings | Fingers or toes change colour: white, then blue, then red as blood returns |
| Trigger | Damp cold that is not freezing, then warming up | Cold, anxiety or stress |
| How long | Each patch lasts more than a day, and usually heals within 2 to 3 weeks | Attacks last from a few minutes to a few hours |
| Other symptoms | Swelling, tenderness, sometimes blisters | Numbness, pain, pins and needles |
| Medicine, when needed | Nifedipine speeds healing and makes relapses less likely | Nifedipine improves circulation |
How to treat chilblains
Most chilblains heal on their own. These steps ease the itching and stop them getting worse:
Do
- Dry your skin and warm it slowly after time in the cold.
- Keep your whole body warm, not just your hands and feet.
- Wear warm, waterproof clothing, gloves and thick socks when you go out.
- Ask a pharmacist about a lotion to soothe the itching, such as calamine or witch hazel.
- Cover broken skin or blisters with a clean, dry dressing, and an antiseptic dressing if a chilblain has broken open.
- Wear shoes that do not squeeze your toes, and socks or tights in winter.
Don’t
- put your hands or feet on a radiator or under hot water to warm them up
- scratch or pick at the skin
- smoke, or have a lot of caffeinated drinks
- take decongestants, which narrow the blood vessels in the fingers and toes
Who gets chilblains?
Chilblains are most common in young and middle-aged adults, and more common in women, especially between the ages of 15 and 30. They are more likely if you:
- spend time in cold, damp conditions, or work outdoors, for example in farming or fishing
- wear tight shoes or clothes, or clothes that leave skin exposed in damp cold
- smoke
- have a low body weight or a poor diet
- have a family tendency to chilblains
- have Raynaud’s phenomenon, lupus or another condition affecting the blood vessels
Chilblains that appear for the first time in older age are unusual, and they need a check for an underlying cause.
How to prevent chilblains on a winter trip
The same habits prevent chilblains at home and on a winter holiday:
- Avoid cold, damp conditions where you can, and dress in warm layers when you go out.
- Wear gloves, thick socks and waterproof boots, and change out of wet socks and gloves straight away.
- Keep your room warm and dry.
- Keep moving: exercise helps you stay warm.
- Warm up gradually when you come indoors, away from a fire or radiator.
- Stop smoking, and cut down on caffeine.
Before a winter city break, the Climate Health Index shows the daily cold and weather scores for European cities.
Which chilblains treatment might the doctor recommend?
Treatment depends on how severe the chilblains are and how often they come back. This is the framework the doctors use, in line with NHS and dermatology guidance.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itchy chilblains that are starting to heal | Warmth, a soothing lotion and time | Yes | Not usually needed |
| Painful chilblains, or chilblains every winter | A prevention plan, and sometimes a medicine that widens blood vessels | Yes | Not usually needed |
| Chilblains not healing after 2 to 3 weeks | A review, and tests for an underlying cause | Partly | For blood tests or a specialist review |
| Pus, spreading redness or a fever | Assessment and treatment for infection | Yes, to assess | If you feel very unwell, or the skin has broken down into an open sore |
| Hard, frozen or numb skin after freezing cold | Frostbite: emergency treatment | No | Call 112 now |
Not sure it is chilblains? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for chilblains
What you can do yourself
- Keep the affected skin warm and dry, and let it warm up slowly after time outside.
- Use a soothing lotion from the pharmacy for the itching.
- Wear shoes that do not pinch or rub, so swollen toes are not squeezed.
- Protect blisters and broken skin with a clean dressing until they heal.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. Most chilblains heal without medicine. For chilblains that are severe or keep coming back, the doctor may prescribe nifedipine, a medicine that widens the blood vessels. It helps chilblains heal faster and makes them less likely to return, but it does not suit everyone, so the doctor checks your other medicines and conditions first. A steroid cream can ease the itching. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Warming cold skin quickly with a radiator, a fire or hot water makes chilblains worse. Scratching breaks the skin and lets infection in. Smoking and decongestants narrow the blood vessels that chilblains depend on to heal.
Special situations
Diabetes
Foot problems can be more serious with diabetes. If you have diabetes and chilblains on your feet, see a doctor rather than waiting, and check your feet every day for breaks in the skin.
Chilblains that keep coming back
Chilblains every winter, or chilblains that do not heal, can be linked to circulation problems, Raynaud’s phenomenon, lupus or other conditions. The doctor may suggest blood tests or a specialist review.
Chilblains without cold
Chilblain-like patches on the toes without any cold exposure have been reported after COVID-19. Tell the doctor if you have had symptoms of COVID-19 recently.
Ski trips and winter hiking
Wet boots and gloves, long days outside and warming up quickly by a fire in the evening are a common combination on winter trips. Dry your feet and hands, change into dry socks, and let them warm up gradually. Numb, white or hard skin after a day in freezing weather is a different matter: see the frostbite page. Other holiday health problems are covered on the travel illnesses page.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When chilblains are treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: chilblains on the toes, fingers or ears, itching and pain, prevention advice, chilblains that keep coming back, and checks for infection.
In-person care: frostbite, chilblains that have broken down into open sores or a spreading infection, chilblains that need blood tests, and foot problems in diabetes that need an examination.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- skin that is hard and frozen, white, grey-blue or blotchy after time in freezing cold
- swelling with loss of feeling, or blisters filled with blood or milky fluid after the cold
- constant shivering, slurred speech, slow breathing, confusion or extreme tiredness after the cold, which can mean hypothermia
Get medical advice the same day for:
- pus coming out of the skin, or redness that spreads
- a very high temperature, or feeling hot, cold or shivery
- a chilblain that has turned into an open sore
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about your chilblains: show the affected skin on camera in good light, and say when they appeared and how cold and damp it was.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Not sure it’s chilblains? Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Frostbite can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about chilblains
What do chilblains look like?
Chilblains are small, swollen patches on the toes or fingers that are red or purple, itch or burn, and appear a few hours after time in the cold. On brown or black skin, the redness can be harder to see. Severe chilblains can blister.
How long do chilblains last?
Chilblains usually go away on their own within 2 to 3 weeks. See a doctor if they have not healed by then, keep coming back, or ooze pus.
How do you get rid of chilblains fast?
Keep the skin warm and dry, warm it up slowly after time in the cold, and do not scratch. A lotion from the pharmacy can soothe the itching. If chilblains are severe or keep returning, a doctor can prescribe nifedipine, a medicine that widens the blood vessels, helps them heal faster and makes them less likely to come back.
What is the main cause of chilblains?
Chilblains come from an abnormal reaction of the small blood vessels to damp cold followed by warming up. The vessels near the surface widen faster than the deeper ones as the skin warms, causing itching, swelling and colour changes. Warming cold skin quickly by a fire or with hot water makes them more likely.
How do you treat chilblains on your toes at home?
Keep your feet warm and dry, let them warm up slowly, and wear shoes that do not squeeze your toes. Calamine or witch hazel lotion soothes the itching. Cover a chilblain that has broken open with an antiseptic dressing, and see a doctor if you have diabetes.
Should I put my feet on a radiator to warm them?
No. Warming cold hands or feet quickly with a radiator, a fire or hot water makes chilblains more likely. Dry the skin and let it warm up gradually at room temperature.
What is the difference between chilblains and Raynaud’s?
Chilblains are itchy, swollen red or purple patches that each last more than a day and heal within 2 to 3 weeks. In Raynaud’s, fingers or toes turn white, then blue, then red in the cold or with stress, and each attack lasts from a few minutes to a few hours. Raynaud’s makes chilblains more likely.
What is the difference between chilblains and frostbite?
Chilblains follow cold, damp weather that is not freezing, and cause itchy, red or purple patches that heal within weeks. Frostbite happens when skin actually freezes: it becomes hard, numb and white, grey-blue or blotchy, and it needs emergency care.
Why do I get chilblains every winter?
Smoking, a low body weight, damp cold and a family tendency make chilblains more likely. Chilblains that keep returning can also be linked to circulation problems, Raynaud’s phenomenon or lupus, so a doctor may suggest tests.
Are chilblains serious?
Usually not, and most chilblains heal on their own. See a doctor if they do not heal, become infected or keep coming back, or if you have diabetes, because foot problems can be more serious with diabetes.
Can you get chilblains on your fingers and ears?
Yes. The toes and fingers are most often affected, but chilblains can also appear on the ears, the face and the legs, and on the thighs and hips in horse riders.
Can an online doctor treat chilblains?
Yes. A doctor can look at chilblains on camera, check for infection and frostbite, and advise on warming, soothing and preventing them. If a medicine would help them heal, the doctor can prescribe it after the consultation.
- Chilblains, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 22 April 2026.
- Chilblains, DermNet, New Zealand, 2021, updated 2026.
- Chilblains: symptoms and causes, Mayo Clinic (US), updated 23 October 2024.
- Chilblains, Royal College of Podiatry (UK), accessed 15 October 2026.
- Raynaud’s, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 20 July 2023.
- Frostbite, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 9 June 2025.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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