Risk of frostbite to be especially high in Utah during upcoming week, experts say

SALT LAKE CITY — Frostbite is more than just feeling cold when you are outdoors during the winter. It is a condition that will cause more problems than a pair of gloves can correct.

The University of Utah Hospital, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Mayo Clinic and other medical centers warn that frostbite can affect any area of the body, but hands, feet, nose, ears, and any other extremities that have been exposed to cold temperatures are at a greater risk for the injury. After a long period of time in the cold, tissue in the body can start to freeze, causing frostbite.

Chances are, you have experienced the first stage of the condition, referred to as frostnip: numbness in your fingers, for example, and/or tingling and pain and redness where the exposure took place. If you have ever had the pain and tingling feeling after the numbness goes away, you also have experienced the first stage.

The hope is, however, not to experience stages 1 through 4, which include blisters, tissue damage and amputations. Covering up and keeping warm can help keep these stages at bay, according to medical professionals.

"I feel like a lot of people forget about frostbite in the winter. We go off skiing and enjoy our time," said Dr. Giavonni Lewis, medical director for the University of Utah Burn Center, where frostbite cases are typically treated. "What we tend to recommend is for everyone to bundle up as much as possible."

Lewis spoke to reporters regarding the dangers of frostbite on Friday morning, where she and Dr. Irma Fleming, a surgeon in the University of Utah Hospital Burn Center, spoke of the ways one gets frostbite, as well as how to be aware of the symptoms and know who is at risk

While people accustomed to cold weather may practice putting on hats, gloves, scarves and thermal pants when they leave the house in the winter, those new to the cold weather may have the biggest problems, Lewis said. Those bright, sunny days can be deceiving to people from other parts of the country who equate sunshine and blue skies with warmer weather and less covering up of appendages.

The population with the highest risk for frostbite, however, are not skiing tourists or new Utah transplants but those living in homelessness.

At the moment, every shelter in Salt Lake County is at capacity, but during "code blue" warnings, when the temperature is expected to be 18 degrees Fahrenheit or below — including wind chill — for at least two hours, capacity for the homeless can expand, said Tricia Davis Winter, director of the Office of Homeless Services.

State law also requires that efforts are made to speak with anyone living unsheltered in the county about the dangers of the decreasing temperatures and the ability to stay indoors during the code blue warning. While it may seem difficult to reach everyone, experienced outreach teams, websites, social services agency staff and shelter employees and volunteers speak to as many people as possible about the code blue, Davis Winter said.

Although expectations of 18 degrees can trigger a code blue message, doctors note that their medical reporting highlights 32 degrees as the potential frostbite temperature. Fleming spoke of the complexities with that: If someone is wet while in the wintry outdoors, including in the feet, the temperature does not need to reach the freezing point. Higher temperatures can also invite frostbite if one is cold and sweating, she said.

She strongly suggests that if you or anyone you know — children included — suspect frostbite, contact a medical professional so they can take a look at it and determine treatment.

"Lucky for us, we support five states, so even if you're not here in the Salt Lake area ... we can always give pointers about care," Fleming said.

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