The child froze his cheeks - what should parents do?

Many parents are afraid to frostbite the child and therefore do not go for a walk with him when the temperature drops below 20 ° C. But frostbite of the cheeks is possible even in the fall, when the street is dank and very wet. In particular, infants are often exposed to this, since they walk, lying in a stroller and practically do not move. And the cheeks are a place that cannot be protected with any clothing. Therefore, parents should know what, first of all, should be taken if the baby has frostbite on his cheeks, and how to treat frostbite.

Frostbite - what is it?

The feeling of cold under the influence of low temperature is a protective reaction of the human body, which indicates a narrowing of blood vessels and a violation of heat transfer. On the skin there are many small capillaries that can not only narrow in the cold, but also cease to function normally. As a result, the skin remains unprotected, which can cause damage or even death of some of its cells. This is frostbite - a condition that occurs after a long stay in the cold.

Symptoms of frostbite in a child’s cheeks - how to determine?

Children's skin is more sensitive and delicate than adult skin, so parents should not be guided by their own feelings while staying outdoors in frosty weather. And the first signals that the baby froze his cheeks can be seen visually. The blush disappears, the skin turns pale, becomes covered with bright spots. If you find such signs, you must immediately go home.

If in the heat the frostbitten part of the skin after ten minutes has returned its usual color, do not worry. But if this did not happen, and other symptoms of frostbite occurred - trembling, drowsiness, or, conversely, excessive activity, appropriate measures should be taken immediately.

First aid for frostbite of the cheeks in a child

With slight frostbite, the process of warming the affected area of ​​the face consists in lightly rubbing the skin with a soft tissue. If the lesion is more severe, a sharp thermal effect must be excluded. It is necessary that blood circulation is restored naturally.

1. A damaged dressing should be applied and fixed.
2. It is necessary to provide the baby with bed rest. As a rule, a bandage is made of gauze covered with a small piece of heat-insulating material. For these purposes, you can use oilcloth or rubberized cloth.
3. An important point in frostbite is the restoration of body temperature. A copious warm drink will help to cope with this task.
4. An increase in temperature will have a beneficial effect on further blood circulation. While the heating event will be held, you need to call a doctor.

Precautionary measures

If there is frostbite on the cheeks of a child, do not rub the damaged areas using alcohol, cold objects, oils. If these substances get into skin microtraumas, the spread of infection can begin, which will make further treatment difficult.

Do not apply hot objects and try to expose with warm water. Such measures can cause irreversible complications, destroying soft tissues.

How to treat hardened skin?

If the skin on the frostbitten cheeks of the baby has become stiff, then it is strictly forbidden to massage them in the cold.Such actions will cause enormous damage to the sensitive skin of the child, up to the point that its upper layers can tear, due to which the baby will experience severe pain.

First you need to return home to keep the baby warm, drink it with warm water or tea. Then you can proceed to activities that will restore blood circulation in the damaged areas. With severe frostbite of the cheeks, it is necessary that the treatment be carried out by a doctor.

However, if for some reason it is not possible to seek medical help, adults must take the necessary measures to help the child. To do this, you need to apply a moisturizer to the affected cheeks - petroleum jelly or a regular cosmetic nourishing cream. The next stage is massaging the hardened parts of the face with continuous circular movements. This must be done carefully so as not to even injure the delicate skin of the child. Thanks to this procedure, it will be possible to restore impaired blood circulation in the frost-bitten tissues.

What to do with severe frostbite?

Until the ambulance arrives, you should give your child a warm drink of tea, put on things made of natural materials, or cover with a blanket. With severe pain, an analgesic, for example, Nurofen, will help. Subsequent therapeutic measures will be carried out by doctors.

Preventative measures

I all know that the prevention of any disease is a simpler measure than treatment. Therefore, when going to take a walk with the baby when it is frosty on the street, you need to observe a few rules:

• Lubricate the baby's cheeks with a protective cream.
• Baby clothes should be made of natural materials.
• You need to cover your neck with a scarf, but the main thing here is not to overdo it - they should not wrap their face.

During the walk, you must strictly monitor the child, when you feel a cold, you must immediately return home.

Video: first aid for frostbite