It seems like the best idea would be to warm them up as quickly as possible, but I’ve heard that’s not the right course of action. Why should you warm them up slowly? And what happens if they warm up too quickly? I’m from the Southeastern US, so I have no experience with extreme cold or frostbite, I’m merely curious
In: Biology
When your extremities are very cold, your body restricts the blood flow to them, but at the same time, the cold also slows their cell’s metabolism, almost to a stop. If you heat the area up too quickly, the cells wake up, but because they have no supply of blood, they die. Heating the frostbitten area slowly makes sure blood flow returns in time.
A similar thing happens with hypothermia. Your body restricts blood flow to the surface to maintain warmth in your core. If you heat someone up too fast, the blood travels through those surface areas and brings the cold back to your core where it can damage organs.
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