Frostnip is not reversible: Once you have symptoms like waxy skin or numbness, you're on the road to frostbite, and you need warm shelter as soon as possible. Ignoring symptoms or hoping they'll disappear with vigorous exercise is a mistake--you're courting more serious frostbite.

Hot fare: If possible, bring along a thermos of hot beverage or soup. Regularly warming up your core with hot fluids will raise the core body temperature, thus allowing more blood to circulate to the extremities. Taking more frequent drinks is better than waiting until you're really freezing. Raising a lowered core body temperature is more difficult than maintaining a normal one over time.

Leave a trace: If you plan to be out all day, let someone know where you're going and when you'll return. It may seem unnecessary to tell someone or even leave a note or a phone message, but who knows what the day will bring? You may save the lives and noses of you and your companions.

2torial #0624: Learn2 Avoid Frostbite (Continued) Know the combinations   If the last step has frightened you into never leaving the house on a cold dayäwell, you're overreacting. Most frostbite cases could have been avoided if proper preparation had been taken, and the majority of those cases result in a minor injury that heals within a few days. One way to avoid frostbite is to recognize the following risky situations, so that you may prepare for them: Temperatures below 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C). Moisture on the body, whether from snow, rain, or perspiration. Lab tests show that wet skin freezes twice as fast as dry skin. Keep it dry! Windchill: It doesn't take a gale, either. A constant light wind will drop temperatures considerably, and make any exposed skin susceptible to frostnip. High altitudes: Thin air makes the circulation system work harder, making it more difficult to get blood to the extremities. A history of frostbite: Once you get frostbite on a particular body part, that part is particularly susceptible to frostbite, and needs to be monitored carefully for any signs of frostbite.   What you can do Dress right! Layering: Wearing several layers of loose, warm clothing will not only keep you from getting too cold, it'll prevent you from getting too warm. Once you start sweating, take off a layer. Otherwise your sweat will cool you down too much, and in an effort to conserve body heat, will force your body to draw blood away from the extremities. Cover up: Make sure your scalp, neck, face and ears are well-covered with any combination of hats, scarves or neck gaiters, and ski masks, especially on windy days. Extra, extra: Take extra socks and long underwear. Changing damp clothing is the best way to maintain body temperature and reduce frostbite.   Before you go... Fill 'er up: Before, during, and after your time outside, eat a lot of nutritious food; this isn't the time to avoid fats and skimp on portions. Through digestion your body turns food into heat and energy. Next time you're feeling a little tired and cold, eat something: you'll feel your warmth and energy increase within ten minutes. Get a weather report: If you're planning on being outside all day, make sure that the mother of all storms isn't coming your way.   While you're out there... Working: if you're working outside, go inside once an hour or so to warm up and change sweaty clothing. Do the whirl: Your fingers need some warm blood to keep from freezing; here's a way to send blood down to your fingers. Moving from the shoulder joint, whirl an arm in a circle 25 or 30 times. For your feet, try wriggling the toes regularly and hopping up and down lightly from foot to foot. (Don't stomp heavily, or you may damage cold-injured tissue). Some folks may think you're crazy, but you're improving the chances of keeping your toes on your foot. Fatigue: Once you're exhausted, you've greatly reduced your ability to stay warm. It may sound obvious, but some folks engage in a flurry of activity once they feel themselves getting cold. Keep active, yes; but pace yourself, or else you'll spend your energy reserves too quickly.   Items to avoid: Be very careful to avoid touching bare flesh to bare metal. This is know as conduction: metal transfers heat more easily than air, and bare metal will draw the heat right from your hand and leave frostbite in its place. Gasoline, which has a freezing point of -70 degrees F ( degrees C) will produce instant frostbite if it contacts bare flesh. Always use gloves and other protection before handling these types of materials. No boozing: Alcohol consumption and cold weather are a very bad mix. Aside from impairing your judgment (a crucial faculty to keep you alive in extreme weather), alcohol cools down your body by dilating the blood vessels near the surface of the skin. Your body just shut down those blood vessels because its core was in danger of getting to cold; ingesting alcohol thwarts the body's effort to protect itself. Nicotine in tobacco impairs blood circulation, so that's best avoided, too.   Step 3