What causes chilblains?

When your feet get cold the tiny blood vessels under your skin shrink.

If you try to warm your feet up too quickly the blood flow increases, in some people this causes fluid to leak into the surrounding tissue which can cause red itchy swellings.

Scratching can break the skin and the chilblains can then become infected. If you have poor circulation or have diabetes you may be more likely to develop chilblains.

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