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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Partly. Frostbite needs emergency care; a doctor by video can assess frostnip, check healing after treatment and help you plan for the cold.
- Frostnip: the first stage: cold, numb, stinging skin that looks red or pale and usually recovers fully within 30 minutes of warming.
- Frostbite: frozen skin turns hard, white, blue-grey or blotchy and numb, and may blister; it can happen at or below 0°C, and in severe cases it turns black.
- First aid: get somewhere warm, remove wet clothing and rings, and warm the area in warm, not hot, water; never rub it.
- Emergency: call 112 for hard or frozen skin, blisters after freezing cold, or constant shivering, slurred speech or confusion.
Do not book a video appointment for skin that is hard and frozen, white, blue-grey or blotchy, numb and swollen, or blistered after freezing cold, or for constant shivering, slurred speech, slow breathing, confusion or extreme tiredness. These are signs of frostbite or hypothermia: call 112, get somewhere warm and sheltered, and remove wet clothing while you wait.
Can an online doctor help with frostbite?
Partly. Frostbite is an emergency: skin that has frozen needs warming and treatment in hospital, so call 112. A doctor by video can help with frostnip once the skin has warmed and feeling has returned, check healing after hospital treatment, and help you plan a winter trip if you have had frostbite or have a condition that affects your circulation.
How an online consultation helps after frostnip or frostbite
- Emergency signs checked first: Hard or numb skin, blisters and the signs of hypothermia are checked before anything else, and you are sent to emergency care if any is present.
- Frostnip assessed: Once the skin has warmed and feeling has returned, the doctor looks at it on camera and tells you whether it needs anything more.
- Healing reviewed: After hospital treatment, the doctor can check pain and healing between your hospital appointments, and look for signs of infection.
- Ready for the next trip: Clothing, warning signs, and how diabetes or circulation problems change your plan for the cold.
What the doctor checks in an online frostbite consultation
The consultation follows a fixed order, and the emergency signs come first. The doctor asks about:
- Emergency signs: hard or frozen skin, numbness that has not recovered, blisters, skin turning dark, and the signs of hypothermia.
- The cold: how long you were exposed, the temperature and wind, and whether clothing or boots were wet.
- What happened next: how the skin was warmed, how long feeling took to return, and any pain or swelling since.
- Your health: diabetes, circulation problems, smoking, and medicines that narrow blood vessels, such as beta blockers.
- Earlier cold injury: frostbite in the past makes the same area easier to injure again.
Before the call, make sure you are somewhere warm, and have good light so the doctor can see the skin.
What is frostbite?
Frostbite happens when skin, and sometimes the tissue under it, freezes after time in very cold temperatures. It usually affects the fingers, toes, nose and ears, and also the cheeks and chin. It can happen at or below 0°C, and wind and wet make it happen faster: in still air, fit people rarely get frostbite above minus 10°C, but in strong wind it can happen at higher temperatures. Bare skin touching freezing metal, ice or very cold liquid can be frostbitten instantly.
Frostnip is the mildest stage. Only the top layer of skin is affected, the tissue underneath stays warm and soft, and blistering, infection or scarring rarely follow when it is warmed promptly.
Frostbite symptoms and stages
Frostbite gets worse the longer the skin stays frozen. Doctors describe four stages:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Stage | What you notice | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Frostnip (first degree) | Cold, numb, stinging or burning skin that looks red or pale; the tissue underneath stays soft | Prompt warming; it usually recovers fully |
| Superficial frostbite (second degree) | Hard, frozen skin that is white or blue; clear or milky blisters within 24 hours | Emergency care |
| Deep frostbite (third degree) | White, blotchy or blue skin over hard, cold tissue; blood-filled blisters that become black scabs over weeks | Emergency care; some tissue may be lost |
| Fourth degree | Damage that reaches muscle, tendon and bone | Hospital treatment; amputation may be needed |
Redness and other colour changes are harder to see on brown and black skin, so numbness, firmness and pain matter as much as colour.
Is frostbite painful?
Yes, at more than one stage. At first the skin stings, burns, throbs or aches, then it goes numb as it freezes, and numbness can hide how bad it is. Feeling and pain come back as the skin is rewarmed: the area can turn red, hot, swollen and painful, and blisters can follow. Intense pain that continues after rewarming and pain relief needs emergency care.
Frostbite first aid
Call 112 for frostbite. While you wait for help:
- Move indoors or to a sheltered place.
- Remove wet clothing, and take off rings, gloves and boots from the affected area.
- Wrap the area in something warm and dry, such as a blanket or a towel; put frozen hands in your armpits. If you are helping someone, rest the affected part in your lap and warm it gently with your hands.
- Once there is no risk of the skin freezing again, place the area in warm, not hot, water, at around 40°C, then dry it gently and cover it with a light dressing.
- Raise the affected part to reduce swelling.
- Take paracetamol for the pain, and have a warm drink.
What not to do
- do not rub the skin, with your hands or with snow
- do not use direct heat: a fire, a radiator, a hot-water bottle, a heat lamp or a hot bath
- do not thaw the skin if it could freeze again before you reach shelter, because thawing and refreezing causes lasting damage
- do not drink alcohol
- do not break blisters
Frostbite or hypothermia?
Frostbite injures one part of the body. Hypothermia is a dangerous drop in the whole body’s temperature, below 35°C, and someone with frostbite is likely to have hypothermia as well, so check for it. Signs of hypothermia:
- shivering
- pale, cold and dry skin, with lips that may turn blue or grey
- slurred speech
- slow breathing
- tiredness or confusion
Hypothermia is an emergency: call 112. Move the person somewhere sheltered, remove wet clothing, and wrap them in a blanket or sleeping bag with the head covered. If they are fully awake, give a warm, non-alcoholic drink and something sugary. Keep them awake by talking to them. Do not use a hot bath or a hot-water bottle, and do not rub their arms and legs.
Will frostbite heal on its own, and can it be permanent?
Frostnip heals on its own once the skin is warmed, without permanent damage. Frostbite should never be left to heal on its own: it needs hospital treatment, and how well it recovers depends on how deep the freezing went.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Stage | What happens after rewarming | What it can leave behind |
|---|---|---|
| Frostnip | Feeling returns and the skin recovers fully | No permanent damage |
| Superficial frostbite | The skin may sting, burn and swell, and blisters can form 12 to 36 hours after rewarming; blisters and scabs heal over weeks | Usually heals; lasting numbness or sensitivity to cold is possible |
| Deep frostbite | Large blood blisters 24 to 48 hours after rewarming; over the following weeks, dead tissue turns black and hard | Loss of tissue, sometimes amputation; lasting pain, stiffness and numbness |
Other long-term effects include greater sensitivity to cold, excessive sweating, and changes to or loss of the nails. Infection, including tetanus, is a risk while the skin heals. An area that has had frostbite is easier to injure in the cold again.
Who is most at risk of frostbite?
Anyone can get frostbite in severe cold, and some people are at higher risk:
- skiers, mountaineers and high-altitude hikers
- people outdoors for long periods in wind and cold, including outdoor workers
- very young and very old people
- people with diabetes or reduced blood flow to the hands and feet
- smokers, and people taking medicines that narrow blood vessels, such as beta blockers
- people who are exhausted, have heart failure, or have been drinking alcohol, which affects judgement in the cold
- anyone who has had frostbite before, in the same area
How to prevent frostbite on a winter trip
Good clothing and early action prevent most cold injuries:
- Wear several loose layers: a base layer that wicks away sweat, an insulating middle layer, and a windproof, waterproof outer layer.
- Wear a hat that covers the ears, a scarf, mittens rather than gloves, with thin liners, thick socks with liners, and boots that do not pinch.
- Never touch freezing metal with bare skin.
- Carry spare dry gloves and socks, and change out of wet ones straight away.
- Eat and drink regularly during long days in the cold.
- Check the forecast and the wind chill, tell someone your route in remote areas, and turn back early when the weather turns.
- Avoid alcohol outdoors in the cold.
- Watch each other’s faces, noses and ears for pale or white patches in cold wind, and head for shelter at the first numb patch.
Which frostbite treatment might the doctor recommend?
What happens next depends on whether the skin froze, and on how it responds to warming. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frostnip that recovered fully with warming | Advice on protecting the area and preventing a repeat | Yes | If numbness or colour changes come back |
| Skin still numb, pale or painful after warming | Emergency assessment | No | Go to an emergency department now |
| Hard, frozen skin or blisters after freezing cold | Frostbite: rewarming and treatment in hospital | No | Call 112 now |
| Healing after hospital treatment | A check on healing, pain and infection between hospital appointments | Yes | If the skin darkens, smells or you develop a fever |
| Signs of hypothermia | Emergency warming and treatment | No | Call 112 now |
Had frostnip and not sure it has fully recovered? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for frostnip and frostbite
What you can do yourself
Only frostnip is treated at home. Warm the area gently with body heat or warm, not hot, water until feeling returns, take paracetamol for the pain, and keep the area warm and dry for the rest of the day. Numbness, pain or colour changes that do not settle after warming need emergency care.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. Frostbite is treated in hospital: the skin is rewarmed in warm water, dressed, and treated with medicines for pain, swelling and infection. Surgery to remove dead tissue, when it is needed, is usually delayed for 3 to 4 weeks, until it is clear which tissue will recover. During recovery, the doctor can review healing and pain by video, and if the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Rubbing frozen skin, warming it with direct heat, and thawing it when it may freeze again all add to the damage. Alcohol is best avoided until you are warm and safe.
Special situations
Skiing and mountaineering
Cold, wind and altitude combine on the mountain, and the fingers, toes, nose, cheeks and ears are most at risk on a chairlift or a ridge in strong wind. Strong sun on snow is a separate risk to the eyes and skin: see snow blindness and sunburn. A headache and nausea at height are covered on the altitude sickness page, and other holiday health problems on the travel illnesses page.
Diabetes and circulation problems
Reduced blood flow to the hands and feet raises the risk of frostbite and slows healing. With diabetes or a circulation problem, protect your feet carefully in the cold, and see a doctor about any cold injury.
After frostbite
Areas that had frostbite can stay painful or stiff, and they are more easily injured by the cold again. Protect them well every winter.
Chilblains
Itchy, red or purple patches after cold, damp weather that is not freezing are more likely chilblains, which heal on their own.
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 frostbite is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: frostnip that has recovered with warming, advice on healing after hospital treatment, and planning for the cold if you have had frostbite or have diabetes or poor circulation.
In-person care: all frostbite, skin that stays numb, pale or painful after warming, blisters after freezing cold, and any sign of hypothermia.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- skin that is hard and frozen, or white, blue-grey or blotchy after freezing cold
- swelling with loss of feeling, or blisters filled with blood or with clear or milky fluid after the cold
- skin that turns black
- constant shivering, slurred speech, slow breathing, tiredness or confusion
Get medical advice the same day for:
- numbness, tingling or pain that has not settled a few hours after warming up
- skin that has changed colour since the cold, even if it looked fine at first
- redness, swelling, pus or a fever around a healing frostbite injury
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 the cold injury: show the skin on camera in good light, and say how long you were in the cold and how the skin was warmed.
- 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 frostbite? 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. If you have an emergency sign listed on this page, call 112 instead.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Chilblains can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about frostbite
What are the first signs of frostbite?
In early frostbite the skin feels cold and numb, stings, burns or aches, and looks red or pale. This first stage is frostnip, and it usually recovers fully with prompt warming. Skin that becomes hard, white, blue-grey or blotchy, or blisters, has frozen and needs emergency care.
What is the difference between frostnip and frostbite?
Frostnip affects only the top layer of skin: it is numb and pale, but the tissue underneath stays soft, and it recovers with warming. In frostbite, the skin and sometimes the tissue under it freeze and become hard, often with blisters, and it needs treatment in hospital.
How do you treat frostbite?
For frostbite, call 112. While you wait, get somewhere warm and sheltered, remove wet clothing and rings, wrap the area in something warm and, once it cannot freeze again, warm it in warm, not hot, water. Do not rub it or use direct heat. Hospital treatment includes rewarming, dressings and medicines for pain, swelling and infection.
Should you rub frostbite?
No. Rubbing frostbitten skin, with your hands or with snow, damages it further. Warm it gently with body heat or warm water instead, and keep it away from fires, radiators, hot-water bottles and hot baths.
At what temperature can you get frostbite?
Frostbite can happen at or below 0°C. Wind makes it happen faster: in still air, fit people rarely get frostbite above minus 10°C, but in strong wind it can happen at higher temperatures.
What causes frostbite, and who is most at risk?
Frostbite is caused by cold that freezes the water in skin and tissue, which happens faster in wind, when clothing is wet, and when bare skin touches metal or fuel; it can occur at or below 0°C, and fit people rarely get it in still air above minus 10°C. People at most risk are climbers, skiers and outdoor workers, anyone exhausted, dehydrated, drunk or sleeping rough, smokers, and people with poor circulation, diabetes or Raynaud’s, or taking beta-blockers.
Is frostbite painful?
Yes. Early frostbite stings, burns, throbs or aches. Frozen skin then goes numb, which can hide the damage, and the pain comes back as it is rewarmed, when the skin can turn red, hot, swollen and blistered. Intense pain that continues after rewarming and pain relief needs emergency care.
Will frostbite heal on its own?
Frostnip will, once the skin is warmed, and it leaves no permanent damage. Frostbite should not be left to heal on its own: call 112, because frozen skin needs rewarming and treatment in hospital, and deep frostbite can kill tissue.
What can I do at home after frostnip or mild frostbite?
After frostnip, warm the skin gently with body heat or warm water, keep it warm and dry, expect tingling and redness for a few hours, and keep it out of the cold until it is fully normal. After treated frostbite, keep the area clean and protected, change dressings as instructed, take painkillers, do not smoke, keep blisters intact, raise the limb to limit swelling, and watch for fever, spreading redness or blackening, which need urgent review.
Is frostbite permanent?
It can be. Frostnip leaves no lasting damage, but frostbite can leave numbness, pain, stiffness, sensitivity to cold, excessive sweating or nail changes. In deep frostbite, tissue can die and turn black over weeks, and some people need an amputation.
How long does frostbite take to heal?
Frostnip usually recovers fully once the skin is warmed. Frostbite takes weeks to months: blisters and scabs heal over weeks, and it can take 3 to 4 weeks before doctors know which tissue will recover. Some people are left with lasting pain or stiffness.
What is the difference between frostbite and hypothermia?
Frostbite is the freezing of one part of the body, usually the fingers, toes, nose or ears. Hypothermia is a dangerous drop in the whole body’s temperature, below 35°C, with shivering, slurred speech, slow breathing and confusion. Both need emergency care, and they can happen together.
How can I prevent frostbite when skiing?
To prevent frostbite, wear several loose layers with a waterproof outer layer, a hat, gloves or mittens, thick socks and boots that do not pinch, and eat and drink regularly. Change out of wet gloves and socks, and head for shelter at the first numb or pale patch of skin.
Can an online doctor help with frostbite?
Partly. Frostbite needs emergency care in person, so call 112. Once frostnip has recovered, or after hospital treatment, a doctor by video can check how the skin is healing and help you plan for the cold.
- Frostbite, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 9 June 2025.
- Frostbite: symptoms and causes, Mayo Clinic (US), updated 22 August 2024.
- Frostbite: first aid, St John Ambulance (UK), reviewed 28 April 2025.
- Hypothermia, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 9 June 2023.
- Frostbite, DermNet, New Zealand, 2005.
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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