Chilblains are a vasospastic disorder that mostly occurs on the toes of the feet, but can occurs on the fingers, the nose and the ears. They are of particular concern to athletes who participate in outdoor sports events in the cold weather. Chilblains are not really caused by the cold, they are caused by a too rapid warming after the toes get cold. Normally when we are exposed to gold the blood vessel constrict to conserve heat. When we warm up, the blood vessels are supposed to open up to bring nutrients to the skin and help dissipate hear. What happens in the chilblains is that the blood vessels remain closed for longer when the foot is warmed up. This means waste products build up in the skin and an inflammatory reaction is set up. Initially chilblains are red and itchy, and later they become dark blue in colour and can break down. The treatment for chilblains is using stimulating creams to get the circulation going, using wound dressing if the are broken. The best way to prevent chilblains is to not let the foot get cold in the first place and if it does get cold, to let the foot warm up slowly. Despite this some people have a circulation that is so sensitive that just going from a cold room to a warm room in the house is enough to cause chilblains.
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