why does hot water burn my cold hands after i’ve been outside for a long time?

Question

i also heard the trick that if you come inside from cold temperatures you should only wash your hands with cold water until the numb sensation goes away. why is this?

In: Biology

Answer 1

A lot of the other comments are half right. Hot water on extremely cold hands can cause tissue damage. You need to warm your hands gradually to avoid that, which is why you use cold/room temperature water.