If you’ve got chilblains and have diabetes, come in and see us. If you do have chilblains they will hurt more as you warm up so try your best not to scratch at them. Take off your socks and anything else that is damp, put dry socks on and have a warm drink too. Don’t put your feet directly into hot water (have a warm, not hot bath) or against the radiator. If you do get really cold, rewarm slowly. Don’t put your feet on a hot water bottle at night – instead try some fleecy bed socks as these will work better. Exercise helps improve the circulation so keep moving. Make sure they don’t rub as this can make you more prone to infection.Īvoid sitting in draughts and sudden changes of temperature – so don’t come in from the cold and stand directly in front of the fire or warm yourself directly on the radiator. If you’re at home, wear slippers that come up over your ankles rather than mules and if you’re out and about, fleece (sheepskin or synthetic) lined boots or shoes are brilliant to keep you warm – just make sure they’re not too tight. Woolly tights and long, thermal socks (look for boot socks when you’re shopping) with a high wool or silver fibre content are what to look for and wear. It’s all in the layering! However, there’s no point in layering up tight socks or tights as these will restrict the blood flow to the toes even more. The Scleroderma and Raynauds UK have a really good information sheet on their website which gives plenty of tips and advice, whether you have Raynauds or not. People with Raynaud’s do get them but there isn’t a direct link. Having chilblains doesn’t necessarily mean you have Raynaud’s Syndrome which we talked about in our Cold Feet blog. Try not to scratch them as if the skin breaks, that’s when infection can get in. They usually start as small itchy red areas on the skin and tend to get darker and increasingly painful as they get worse (which is called ‘becoming congested’). What do Chilblains look like?Ĭhilblains aren’t always red – they can also cause the extremities affected to become white or purple and the swelling can vary from slight to significant. They’re pretty common – it’s thought that 1 in 10 people in the UK will get chilblains at some point in their life, especially as they get older. The blood vessels that supply your skin, first constrict and then as they refill, they can leak fluid under the skin – resulting in the toes/fingers/tips of ears becoming itchy, red & swollen, often with burning sensation and being very tender to the touch. They’re caused by repeated exposure to the cold dampness and cold winds really don’t help either. They’re not just a feet thing – they can affect the hands too and this is known as the stocking glove effect. To each their own.Now winter is upon us, it’s the time we start to see Chilblains in clinic. I mean, if you want to give it a go, then by all means-but you know, loading up on vitamin C and resting (without any socks at all) works too. "While you're sleeping, the socks will get dry as your feet-and then the rest of your muscles-get increased blood flow." According to him, the first time trying the hack, you might experience better, deeper sleep. Christianson explains, adding that the point of the wool socks is to hold in warmth despite the damp cotton socks-so you shouldn't feel a chill. "The whole idea is that blood supply rushes to an area where water is against your skin," Dr. Next, you pull the damp cotton pair onto your feet and then the wool ones on top of them. Right before you go to bed, rinse the cotton socks damp with room temperature water and wring them out all the way." Pro tip: If you get cold really easily, he says you can just dampen the area nearest to your toes. "You'll need one pair of thin, cotton ankle socks and one that's long and heavy and ideally made out of wool. "You'll need two pairs of socks," says Dr. You don't just put on a sopping-wet pair of socks though.
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