Overview

Chilblains, also known as perniosis is a condition commonly affects your feet or hands, basically  refers  to inflammation of the blood capillaries in your skin resulting from cold exposure.  These occur when you are exposed to cold temperatures for a considerable time. Also termed as chill burns and pernio, chilblains can cause swelling of the affected area, the formation of red patches and blisters, and itchiness. Chilblains can be prevented by limiting your time in the cold, dressing warmly and covering exposed skin. If you do get chilblains, keeping the skin warm and dry can help ease the symptoms. usually clears up in 2 or 3 weeks, especially if the weather gets warmer. You may get the symptoms each cold season for years. Babies can get chilblains as well if they’re not wearing proper clothing in damp or cold weather. Usually, chilblains don’t lead to long-term health problems or complications. It’s important to keep any affected skin areas clean so you don’t get an infection.

Causes  of chilblains or pernio?

Researchers don’t know exactly why this reaction happens. Some experts believe pernio develops because of:

• Genetics
• Hormonal changes
• Underlying conditions, like connective tissue diseases

Symptoms

Symptoms of chilblains include:

• Small, itchy areas on your skin, often on your feet or hands.
• Sores or blistering.
• Swelling.
• Pain or stinging.
• Changes in skin color.

The following factors increase the risk of chilblains:

• Wearing clothing and shoes that are tight or expose skin to the cold. Wearing tightfitting clothing and shoes in cold, damp weather may make you more susceptible to chilblains.
• Being a young woman. This condition is most common in females between the ages of 15 and 30.
• Being underweight. This condition is most common in people with a low body mass.
• Living in cold, humid areas. Your risk of chilblains is higher if you live in an area with high humidity and cold but not freezing temperatures.

Diagnosis and Tests

To diagnose chilblains, your health care provider will look at the affected skin and talk with you about your symptoms and any recent cold exposure. Tell your health care provider if you’re not sure whether you were in below-freezing temperatures. If you were, you might have frostbite.

To rule out other conditions, you may need blood tests. Or your health care provider may take a small sample of the affected skin to have it examined under a microscope in a laboratory. This test is called a skin biopsy.

Treatment

Chilblains can be treated at home with self-care, including keeping your hands and feet warm and dry. If your chilblains symptoms don’t clear up with self-care, your health care provider may suggest medicine, including:

• A topical corticosteroid. If your chilblains symptoms include sores, applying a corticosteroid such as triamcinolone 0.1% cream might help clear them up.
• Blood pressure medicine. For symptoms that don’t respond to other treatment, your health care provider might prescribe a blood pressure medicine such as nifedipine (Procardia). It’s a type of calcium channel blocker that treats chilblains by improving blood flow.

Outlook / Prognosis

Chilblains usually go away within one to three weeks. If you’re at high risk, chilblains may return every year when the weather changes. If chilblains keep coming back, your healthcare provider may give you a medication to prevent chilblains from developing as frequently.

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