Chilblains are lesions on your skin that develop on the toes that are more common in the cooler environments. Knowing the cause of any problem will go some distance to help being aware of what is happening with them, ways to avoid chilblains and the ways to take care of chilblains. This is definitely the case with chilblains. Since they only appear in wintry climates, they aren't really brought on by the cold. A lot of people that do not have them get cold as well and they do not have chilblains. Likewise, some individuals get chilblains with even small alterations in temperatures and it not being too cold. This means that there is a lot more going on than simply the cold that typically gets blamed for resulting in them.
Within the skin there are a lot of small blood vessels (the microcirculation) which help normalize temperature in your body. Whenever we become cool, these arteries tighten in order to save heat deeper in your body. If we are warm, these arteries open up and bring the blood closer to the surface so that we are able to disperse warmth to cool the body. It is deemed an essential normal functionality. With a chilblain the capillaries close up like they usually should, however when the foot is warmed, the blood vessels remain constricted when they shouldn't be. Because of this waste products start to accumulate within the skin and there isn't any blood supply to eliminate them. This causes an inflamation related response and the release of substances making the chilblain painful and itchy. Ultimately the capillaries will open and the immediate rush of blood to the chilblains brings about additional tenderness along with pain. The initial appearance is mostly a dark blue patch, however this could be a reddish look after that rush of blood. If the pathology is repeated on a regular basis, then they can be transformed into a chronic patch.
Exactly the reason why in some people they continue to be constricted for longer in colder climates in unknown. Chilblains are definitely more prevalent in females, implying there could possibly be some type of hormonal influence on the pathology. On the other hand, males do can also get chilblains, thus if it is hormone related, then that is not the sole factor. Astonishingly for a thing that can be so prevalent, there is comparatively little research been done to attempt to look into chilblains in greater depth.
Using this understanding of the main cause might help individuals prevent and treat chilblains. Clearly an important thing to do will not be allow the feet get cool and maintain them warm. If they do become cool, then it is vital that they are warmed up quite gradually in order for the microcirculation to have a opportunity to react to the increased demand in the tissues and the arteries will open up to fulfill that demand. This means that the waste material will not build up and the inflammatory reaction process is not commenced. Once that pathology does start, then your treatment process needs to move to minimize that inflammatory reaction process and help dispose of those harmful toxins that have accumulated in the skin.