WARNING: The Embarrassing Bodies website contains images of an explicit medical nature and nudity in a medical context.

Embarrassing Bodies, 2:05am Tuesday 7th February 2012 on Channel 4. Catch up for free on 4oD »

Conditions

Chilblains

chilblains

Chilblains (otherwise knows as pernio) are caused by inflammation of the blood vessels in the skin, and can become painful and itchy. Untreated they can crack the skin, leading to infections. They are caused when an exposed body part, typically the feet or the hands, moves from an extremely cold environment to a hot one. The most common example of this is when a person with cold hands runs them under the hot tap – frequently leading to swelling and tingling in the hands, but also potentially to the formation of chilblains. The chilblain is caused by the blood vessels restricting blood flow during extreme cold, but being exposed to warmth that causes an unexpected expansion. The result is the leaking of fluid into surrounding tissues. Treatments range from simple anti-septic solutions (such as iodine) to prevent infection through to antibiotics for already infected ulcers.

What the Men in White Coats Say

Comments and Questions

You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.

Arghhh.. I have them on the joints of my toes. My bad, I wore Converse twice whilst dog walking recently. I haven't had them for a few years, largely because I have been (exclusively) wearing steel toe capped boots. They might not be the height of sartorial elegance but they do create temperature stable atmosphere for your feet. Wearing steels keeps my feet warm in the winter and cooler in the summer.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

I currently have chilblains on my toes!! This is strange but like some of the other comments I would like to tell others out there that the onion trick really works!! I've just rubbed an onion cut in half over the affected areas and ALL of the itching has gone. A huge huge relief. What I have done now is broken up the onion and put them in some warm socks (Yeah gross I know but still, if you have chilblains and experience the extreme itching its worth it!) and put them on. The onion surrounding the chilblains in the socks has helped SOSO much. Highly recomended!!





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

i suffer every winter from a massive chilblain on my side,it is very itchy and sore,i am a plasterer so i spend most of the day sweating and then working in cold conditions any advice





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

I find soaking my feet in a mustard foot bath with water as hot as you can bear it always works for me.

I'm sixteen, eat a lot of fruit and veg, (have a lot of vitamin C) and dance for about 5 hours a week. I would say I'm slim, a healthy person. My blood pressure is normal, (whereas in some of my family members have it high) and have no other medical history I can think of- so why do I keep getting chilblains!? :( Last year the doctor gave me some cream, however it did nothing, and I ended up suffering from November-May. I've tried so hard to keep my toes warm this year, but they've just swollen, and they're so sore! Any ideas what might stop the itching? Or prevent it on the first place?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

I have had this on and off since my second child was born 24 years ago. I can go for several years with none and then it starts up again like now I am living in a very damp..but not overly cold place. My feet have always gotten either cold or hot very easily. In the summer they overheat. Anyway I have tried the remedy of the juice from a raw onion rubbed over the affected areas for several minutes will ease the itching within a few minutes. I add to that one 325 mg "aspirin" not acetominaphin or ibufrofin but acetesylic acid (aspirin). I take a raw yellow cooking onion that is kept in a cool location. slice into it and make hatch marks so there is a lot of juice. gently rub this over all toes/fingers. in a few minutes the itch should subside. I would not recommend this on the face. I do 2 sessions/evening and over 2-3 nights. Out of curiosity I would really like to know why dampness has such an effect on this.

Hi, I have really swollen, itchy, red, hot toes that get quite painful.It startes on one foot and certain toes and then spreads to others. Is this chilblains?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

hi i have the problem of chilblains in extreme winters, i try to control myself not to rub while itching. but now i find out that even my son 4 year old has also got same problem of chilblains in toe and he is too small for that to control himself while itching. he goes to school and that he can't avoid ,twice a day i dip his foot in warm water of turnip boiled within and add salt, it gives him releif for sometime. while sleeping whenever his foot gets warm it starts itching. is there any other treatment that we can do. becoz i have gone thru this and i know it goes with the winter only. please give some suggestion for my son .





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

I use lidocane numbing spray, (it's for waxing and tattooing) i buy it at the local beauty supply store it's like $10 but worth every penny! Also in a pinch Ambesol works too but it's gooey and mint flavored.

I have very stiff fingers for the last 3/4 years especially in the winter, my doctor says i have junior arthritis as i am only 17, in the last 1/2 years i have been diagnosed with chilblains. These Are Like Swollen Red Pimples on my fingers which usually cause swollen stiff joints. My doctor thinks is linked somewhere with my psoriasis which i have suffered badly with since the ages of 1 or younger. He has prescribed my heart medication and creams but nothing seems to be working and as the winter is approaching with a vengeance in Ireland this year i was hoping someone would share their cures and stories with me. Leonne :)





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

hi am 23 years old and not shore if I have this but have very itchy arms,feat,legs,fingers its like small juicy spots I have them for 5 month now and my GP said its scabies trying everything but then read over here how to check if u have scabies and I dont have so am wondering if it is this or something else please give me some answers





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hi,I have a form of chill blains that GP's can't describe...or so they said to me.I have chill blains all year round cold or warm and they only ever go when its around 15 - 16 degree celcius.I would like to know if there is some way of treating this? I have used 7 different creams all of which didn't work. Please please please reply to this as it is beginning to get really embarrassing x





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

How can I reach you? I have the exact same thing, mine lasts 3-4 months at a time, starting Nov1st til June

also it is chronic pernio or chronic chilblains. Just make sure you don;t have joint pain, sores in your mouth, rash on the face ( butterfly rash) if you do, go to a rheumatologist

Okay not sure if im on the right one but i am 17 years old and my hands a longer than most of the boys in my grade is this normal ?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.



Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

It looks like no one else has asked this question, so please fill in the rest of your details below.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.



Please don't swear or be rude in your questions, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting questions. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines


Important Notice

The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.


If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here


More Information

  1. Body Check: Semen

    In Videos - Dr Christian discusses the importance of semen and what it can tell…

  2. Doctor Responses: Periods

    In Videos - Doctor Pixie answers your most frequently asked questions about per…

  3. Am I Normal Periods

    In Videos - Dr Dawn Harper discusses all matters relating to periods and what i…

  4. Episode 2 - Kids

    In Episodes - This week's episode includes a young girl with vile verrucas that m…

  5. Quick Health Advice: Penis Spots

    In Videos - Dr Christian discusses how to check for penile spots and what warni…

  6. Quick Health Advice: Piles

    In Videos - Dr Jessen passes on some advice about the causes of piles and the p…

  7. Body Check: Urine

    In Videos - Dr Christian talks about potential health problems that can be spot…

  8. Quick Health Advice: Bad Breath

    In Videos - Dr McKenna gives out information on how to test for bad breath and…

  9. Quick Health Advice: Excessive Sweating

    In Videos - Dr Pixie discusses the causes of excessive sweating and the treatme…

  10. Body Check: Moles

    In Videos - Dr Christian talks about how to check your moles for potentially da…

  11. Body Check: Stools

    In Videos - Dr Christian describes what different shapes and colours of poo can…

  12. Body Check: Sweat

    In Videos - Dr Christian explains the importance of knowing your sweat levels a…

  13. Doctor Responses: Breasts

    In Videos - Dr Pixie answers your most frequently asked questions about breasts.

  14. Body Check: Feet

    In Videos - Dr Christian talks about common foot conditions and the importance…

  15. We're Coming to Get You!

    In Episodes - The Docs are back, and this time they're coming to get you!


More Information

Content supplied by NHS Choices

Chilblains are small, itchy swellings on the skin that occur as a reaction to cold temperatures. They affect the body's extremities, such as the toes, fingers, heels, ears and nose. Chilblains are uncomfortable but can be prevented. Read More »

Be On Embarrassing Bodies

The clinic is opening again for a new series.
Apply for Embarrassing Bodies >