# Frostbite and tissue damage **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 13, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frostbite-and-tissue-damage/557035 "2010-10-13T19:24:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frostbite-and-tissue-damage/557035/1 "2010-10-13T19:24:50Z")
I had a plantar wart frozen at the doc’s office a couple of days ago. He shaved the bulk of it off with a blade, then gave it several short blasts of liquid nitrogen. Consistent with previous wart-freezing experiences, the site is somewhat tender today (two days later). So why the pain? I am familiar with the pain of _cold_ flesh, and I understand (or at least hope) that the wart has been killed by the freezing process. So has some of my own flesh been _damaged_ (but not _killed_) by the freezing process, and now I’m receiving pain messages because of that damage? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frostbite-and-tissue-damage/557035/2 "2010-10-13T19:31:26Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > So has some of my own flesh been _damaged_ (but not _killed_) by the freezing process, and now I’m receiving pain messages because of that damage? Seriously? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frostbite-and-tissue-damage/557035/3 "2010-10-13T19:33:19Z")
Yep. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frostbite-and-tissue-damage/557035/4 "2010-10-13T20:05:32Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > > > So has some of my own flesh been _damaged_ (but not _killed_) by the freezing process, and now I’m receiving pain messages because of that damage? > > Seriously? > > Yes. how is it that tissue can be frozen without being killed? And what is the nature of the damage? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frostbite-and-tissue-damage/557035/5 "2010-10-13T20:26:06Z")
Certainly there is flesh that is left viable, but affected by the trauma of (near)-freezing and cutting. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frostbite-and-tissue-damage/557035/6 "2010-10-13T20:26:14Z")
Because things in nature work on a spectrum of damage radiating away from the source. The nearest cells freeze and rupture those further way get damaged but recover. ---
**Author:** ![FasterThanMeerkats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@FasterThanMeerkats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FasterThanMeerkats)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frostbite-and-tissue-damage/557035/7 "2010-10-14T15:36:12Z")
And it’s not like you had perfectly formed skin under that wart, it needs time to grow back to be uniform with the rest of your skin, kind of like a scraped knee or knuckle. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frostbite-and-tissue-damage/557035/8 "2010-10-15T14:58:53Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > > [@Grey](#): > > > > Seriously? > > > > Yes. > > how is it that tissue can be frozen without being killed? > > And what is the nature of the damage? I think, in terms of the effect on tissue, freezing with liquid nitrogen is quite similar to burning.