Jack Frost may be taking a bite at more than just your nose during these cold winter days. As we get further and further into the winter season, the time is right for frostbite.

Peter Wolfe, M.D., is a doctor in the department of family medicine at the McFarland Clinic in Ames. He said one can tell that frostbite may be occurring when skin starts to tingle and turn white.

The fingers, toes, ears and nose are the most common body parts affected by the cold.

The best thing to do if symptoms are noticeable is to get inside as soon as possible and cover the extremities, he said. There will likely be pain and swelling in the affected areas and in the more severe cases the skin may breakdown and blisters will form, he said.

“The best prevention of frostbite is to use your common sense,” Wolfe said.

People need to layer their clothing, cover their ears, wear a face mask and refrain from alcohol and cold medicines.

Many students think alcohol can warm the body up, but it actually does the opposite, Wolfe said.

Alcohol and cold medicines such as Sudafed cause the blood vessels to enlarge. Therefore, the vessels get cold faster and make areas on the body more susceptible to frostbite.

The average number of frostbite cases reported at the McFarland Clinic is one to two a day, he said. Wolfe recently worked a 12-hour shift in the emergency room and saw two reported cases of frostbite.

Mike Merrill, a freshman in accounting had frostbite when he was in the fifth grade. “I came in from recess and someone told me my ears were white, but I didn’t feel a thing,” Merrill said.

He said he was sent to the nurse’s office and had to put warm washcloths on his ears for about 30 minutes. They blistered later that day. Merrill suffered no serious side effects from his frostbite incident.