"It's so cold, it hurts" may seem like an extremely accurate statement this time of year in Minnesota as subzero temperatures wreak havoc on unprotected skin, particularly on the face and hands.
With the lack of moisture in the air, many are seeing the results show up on their hands in the form of cracks and cuts. While the symptoms may seem harmless, they can actually lead to bigger problems down the road according to the Mayo Clinic.
"You can get open sores and of course those take take time to heal and be painful. They can bleed and you can get scarring if those stores are bad enough," said Dr. Paul Horvath, an emergency medicine physician at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. "I start to worry about people getting infections in those wounds, particularly some of our older folks who don't have good immune systems for whatever reason."
There are some basic things to do in order to prevent the cold from damaging your skin during the winter, including wearing good-fitting gloves and warm clothes, along with using a moisturizer more frequently as more hand washing takes place.
"That could be something thick, like an ointment, or something more water-based like a true lotion. We should apply those things multiple times a day to keep that tissue moist," Dr. Horvath added.
There's always the issue of frostbite during the winter months. Frostbite cases can range from moderate to severe, but can have prolonged impacts.
"Once an area has had frostbite, it's much more susceptible to having frostbite in the future," Horvath said. "We notice those areas get cold and more prone to frostbite in the future. We just need to be more diligent about wearing good clothing to keep those areas warm."
Raynaud's phenomenon could be impacting a number of people this time of the year as finger and toes become numb, cold, and discolored. The skin constricts excessively in response to cold temperatures, limiting blood supply to the affected area.
"It's pretty common and the people who have it generally know about it. They are generally the people whose fingers are turning red or white, and they'll be walking around holding a cup of coffee or tea just to keep their fingers warm. They're in that group of people who are more prone to getting cold weather injuries like frostbite. They good thing is that they generally know about it and can take steps to try and prevent it."