How to cure 'ice pack burn??"?

Question

I can't believe I'm even asking this, but heres the deal...I'm at athlete...Every day after workouts I get my shins iced...I go about my business and take them off about 30 minutes later...well, today, I just kind of forgot about them, left them on too long and also didn't put anything between my skin and the pack like usual...well, now I have MAJOR ice pack 'burns'...they look like sunburns and feel warm to the touch still...HOURS later...and they are a deep red, like a sunburn and painful...I am taking ibuprofen to keep the pain down and I've spoken with a nurse who said it should just go away on its own...has this ever happened to anyone? I guess I kind of gave myself frostbite?? WTF?? Anyway, I'm worried that my skin won't go back to normal color! Will it peel like a sunburn? Its so scary! I went for an easy run tonight so its not affecting my movement or anything but it just looks bad...help!

Answer 1

it will go away with time, just like a sunburn or windburn, etc.

Answer 2

Ok, first off you did get a case of MILD frostnip/frostbite. It will heal on it's own without treatment. Have you noticed that your hands have problems when exposed to cold? If yes, you may have a condition known as Renaud's Syndrome.

DONNA B: The "Hunter's reflex" or "cold-induced vasodilation" is a normal, transient, protective response by your body in an attempt to prevent frostbite when extremities are exposed to cold, it is not an "over-reaction". If anything it would have protected the site, not hurt it. However, even this reflex will be overridden when the core temp begins dropping.

- David

Answer 3

As long as the skin is pink you should be ok.  The rule for ice is 20 minutes on then 20 minutes off. It's call the Hunters reflex.  Your shins probably got so cold that your body overreated by increasing blood supply to your shins in an attempt to warm the affected area, which defeats the reason you applied ice in the first place.  My suggestion is get a timer before you do this again.

Answer 4

It IS a burn.  Just like being burned with scalding water or fire.  You exposed your skin to temperature it could not withstand.  After 15 - 20 minutes, the nerves can't send the pain signals anymore so you don't even know you're doing the damage.  If you have some silvadene cream, that will help.  The skin is damaged, so be very careful about infection.  Ice packs should never be left on the skin for more than 15 - 20 minutes at a time, by the way.