Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Ice Packs Cause BurnsRisk FactorsPreventionWhat Does Frostbite Look Like?TreatmentWhen to See a Healthcare Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How Ice Packs Cause Burns
Risk Factors
Prevention
What Does Frostbite Look Like?
Treatment
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Frostbitefrom an ice pack can occur if you leave an ice pack on your injury for too long or if you place it directly on your skin. While ice packs are helpful, and experts often recommendusing iceto soothe pain, inflammation, and swelling, you want to take care to avoid ice burn.
Here’s what to know about how ice packs can cause burns and how to use ice on injuries safely.
Dmitry Marchenko / EyeEm / Getty Images
Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but the ice that comes out of the freezer is likely to be much colder than that. Putting ice or any kind of chemical cold pack—homemade or otherwise—directly on the skin can lead to frostbite in minutes.
Ice crystals form in the skin cells and blood flow slows, depriving the tissues of oxygen. As it progresses, the ice burn causes permanent damage to your skin and underlying tissues. In severe cases, it can lead togangrene(tissue death) and amputation.
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Risk Factors for Ice Burns
Certain situations, such as a history of underlying health conditions or frostbite exposures at work, can increase the risk of an ice burn. For example, people with poor circulation (as withRaynaud’ssyndrome) may not respond as well to ice pack use.
In some people, the syndrome itself is linked to a thyroid disorder, which may contribute to risk. Other risk factors that can lead to poor circulation and ice burns may include:
People who have a history of smoking, or who were assigned female at birth, also may be more at risk.
When You Can’t Sense the ColdIt’s important to be fully aware of your actions when using an ice pack to treat an injury. Some studies demonstrate that substance use disorder, including alcohol use, is an independent risk factor for frostbite.Even neuropathy, which limits your ability to sense cold due to nerve damage, can contribute to frostbite from an ice pack.
When You Can’t Sense the Cold
It’s important to be fully aware of your actions when using an ice pack to treat an injury. Some studies demonstrate that substance use disorder, including alcohol use, is an independent risk factor for frostbite.Even neuropathy, which limits your ability to sense cold due to nerve damage, can contribute to frostbite from an ice pack.
Peripheral Neuropathy
How to Prevent Ice Burns
When youuse an ice pack, pay attention to how your skin feels. The first stage of ice burn is known asfrostnip. Frostnip causes your skin to get red or pale with a tingling and prickly sensation. It’s a sign that you should remove the ice pack and warm the area so you don’t damage your skin.
It can be helpful to use the acronym “CBAN,” which stands for cold, burn, ache, and numb. These are four sensations you feel when your skin is exposed to ice for too long.
Don’t put ice or ice packs directly on the skin. A plastic bag isn’t enough to protect your skin from ice burn. You should always wrap the ice in a towel or other thin cloth.
Make sure to watch the clock. You should ice an injury for 20 minutes at a time. Studies have found that this offers the greatest benefit in reducing pain while limiting any numbness, burning, and redness.
Frostbite vs. FrostnipFrostnip is an early stage of frostbite, with symptoms of red or pale skin, and numbness or tingling in the affected part of the body. If you experience these symptoms, remove the ice pack before symptoms worsen. Frostnip can progress to frostbite, with a blue, white, gray, or waxy skin color along with swelling and blisters.
Frostbite vs. Frostnip
Frostnip is an early stage of frostbite, with symptoms of red or pale skin, and numbness or tingling in the affected part of the body. If you experience these symptoms, remove the ice pack before symptoms worsen. Frostnip can progress to frostbite, with a blue, white, gray, or waxy skin color along with swelling and blisters.
Frostbite: Treatment for Mild to 1st-Degree Symptoms
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See PhotoFrostbite on an ankle after treating with an ice pack improperly applied directly on the skin.(c) Melanie Martinez
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
Frostbite from an ice pack will, at first, look just like a burn. Symptoms include:
As your symptoms progress, the skin may become more white, blue, or even black in the later stages (though it’s unlikely that ice pack use will cause skin changes common to environmental exposure).
Healthcare providers classify the severity of burns due to frostbite when treating these injuries. These frostbite burns range from a category I to IV, with more severity the higher the number:
Use These Pictures to Identify Frostbite
When You Shouldn’t Use Ice
Don’t use ice on your skin if it already feels numb. When your skin is numb or tingly, you may not be able to tell when the ice is causing damage.
Also, don’t use an ice pack on an area that’s already injured with a blister or burn. When the skin is already damaged, you are more likely to develop an ice burn.
How to Treat Frostbite From an Ice Pack
Remove the ice pack. Soak the affected area in warm water, making sure the water is comfortable and not hot, for 30 minutes or less. Gently wash and dry the area and wrap in a sterile bandage. Do not rub your skin—it can cause further damage if you have frostbite. Seek medical care if you have signs of frostbite.
Mild ice burns may take a few days to heal, but it will vary based on the degree of injury. Deep, severe burns can take months and may require surgery to remove dead skin and tissue.The severity also is made worse if more of the body is affected, rather than an isolated location more typical of ice pack use.
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Certain medical conditions, such asvascular diseaseanddiabetes, may make your tissues more likely to be damaged with ice burn.If you have questions about your risk for frostbite, speak to your healthcare provider about whether it’s safe for you to ice your injury.
If ice packs aren’t working, or if you think they’ve added a new frostnip or frostbite injury, it may be time to see your provider for a diagnosis and treatment.
Summary
Frostbite from an ice pack may be a rare injury, but it is possible in people who have an increased risk of tissue damage or simply aren’t using the right technique to protect skin. Ice packs can be helpful but never leave them on the skin for more than 20 minutes at a time.
You also may wish to carefully consider their use in people who have an underlying health issue that affects their ability to sense pain and cold, or who have circulatory conditions that affect their responses.
In most cases, skin damage from an ice pack is comparatively mild and can be treated at home. Severe frostbite cases typically require hospitalization with long recovery times and, in some cases, permanent damage.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wigley F., and N. Flavahan.Raynaud’s Phenomenon.The New England Journal of Medicine. 2016. 375(6):556-65. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1507638Endorf FW, Alapati D, Xiong Y, DiGiandomenico C, Rasimas CS, Rasimas JJ,et al.Biopsychosocial factors associated with complications in patients with frostbite.Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Aug 26;101(34):e30211. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000030211.Mutlu S, Yılmaz E.The effect of soft tissue injury cold application duration on symptoms, edema, joint mobility, and patient satisfaction: a randomized controlled trial.J Emerg Nurs. 2020;46(4):449-59. doi:10.1016/j.jen.2020.02.017Shakirov BM.Frostbite injuries and our experience treatment in the Samarkand area Uzbekistan.Int J Burns Trauma. 2020 Aug 15;10(4):156-161. PMID: 32934870Cedars-Sinai.Frostbite.Millet JD, Brown RK, Levi B, et al.Frostbite: Spectrum of imaging findings and guidelines for management.Radiographics. 2016;36(7):2154-2169. doi:10.1148/rg.2016160045Additional ReadingAmerican Academy of Pediatrics.Use of ice and heat (Care of the young athlete).Laskowski-jones L, Jones LJ. Frostbite:Don’t be left out in the cold.Nursing. 2018;48(2):26-33. doi:10.1097/01.NURSE.0000529802.75665.d7
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wigley F., and N. Flavahan.Raynaud’s Phenomenon.The New England Journal of Medicine. 2016. 375(6):556-65. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1507638Endorf FW, Alapati D, Xiong Y, DiGiandomenico C, Rasimas CS, Rasimas JJ,et al.Biopsychosocial factors associated with complications in patients with frostbite.Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Aug 26;101(34):e30211. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000030211.Mutlu S, Yılmaz E.The effect of soft tissue injury cold application duration on symptoms, edema, joint mobility, and patient satisfaction: a randomized controlled trial.J Emerg Nurs. 2020;46(4):449-59. doi:10.1016/j.jen.2020.02.017Shakirov BM.Frostbite injuries and our experience treatment in the Samarkand area Uzbekistan.Int J Burns Trauma. 2020 Aug 15;10(4):156-161. PMID: 32934870Cedars-Sinai.Frostbite.Millet JD, Brown RK, Levi B, et al.Frostbite: Spectrum of imaging findings and guidelines for management.Radiographics. 2016;36(7):2154-2169. doi:10.1148/rg.2016160045Additional ReadingAmerican Academy of Pediatrics.Use of ice and heat (Care of the young athlete).Laskowski-jones L, Jones LJ. Frostbite:Don’t be left out in the cold.Nursing. 2018;48(2):26-33. doi:10.1097/01.NURSE.0000529802.75665.d7
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Wigley F., and N. Flavahan.Raynaud’s Phenomenon.The New England Journal of Medicine. 2016. 375(6):556-65. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1507638Endorf FW, Alapati D, Xiong Y, DiGiandomenico C, Rasimas CS, Rasimas JJ,et al.Biopsychosocial factors associated with complications in patients with frostbite.Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Aug 26;101(34):e30211. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000030211.Mutlu S, Yılmaz E.The effect of soft tissue injury cold application duration on symptoms, edema, joint mobility, and patient satisfaction: a randomized controlled trial.J Emerg Nurs. 2020;46(4):449-59. doi:10.1016/j.jen.2020.02.017Shakirov BM.Frostbite injuries and our experience treatment in the Samarkand area Uzbekistan.Int J Burns Trauma. 2020 Aug 15;10(4):156-161. PMID: 32934870Cedars-Sinai.Frostbite.Millet JD, Brown RK, Levi B, et al.Frostbite: Spectrum of imaging findings and guidelines for management.Radiographics. 2016;36(7):2154-2169. doi:10.1148/rg.2016160045
Wigley F., and N. Flavahan.Raynaud’s Phenomenon.The New England Journal of Medicine. 2016. 375(6):556-65. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1507638
Endorf FW, Alapati D, Xiong Y, DiGiandomenico C, Rasimas CS, Rasimas JJ,et al.Biopsychosocial factors associated with complications in patients with frostbite.Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Aug 26;101(34):e30211. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000030211.
Mutlu S, Yılmaz E.The effect of soft tissue injury cold application duration on symptoms, edema, joint mobility, and patient satisfaction: a randomized controlled trial.J Emerg Nurs. 2020;46(4):449-59. doi:10.1016/j.jen.2020.02.017
Shakirov BM.Frostbite injuries and our experience treatment in the Samarkand area Uzbekistan.Int J Burns Trauma. 2020 Aug 15;10(4):156-161. PMID: 32934870
Cedars-Sinai.Frostbite.
Millet JD, Brown RK, Levi B, et al.Frostbite: Spectrum of imaging findings and guidelines for management.Radiographics. 2016;36(7):2154-2169. doi:10.1148/rg.2016160045
American Academy of Pediatrics.Use of ice and heat (Care of the young athlete).Laskowski-jones L, Jones LJ. Frostbite:Don’t be left out in the cold.Nursing. 2018;48(2):26-33. doi:10.1097/01.NURSE.0000529802.75665.d7
American Academy of Pediatrics.Use of ice and heat (Care of the young athlete).
Laskowski-jones L, Jones LJ. Frostbite:Don’t be left out in the cold.Nursing. 2018;48(2):26-33. doi:10.1097/01.NURSE.0000529802.75665.d7
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