Thank you for your messages of support to David and his condition. There have also been a number of queries about just what is frostbitten hair.

Peripheral Effluvium or frostbitten hair is a condition in men or women resulting from prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures or radiation. Where the ambient temperature is less than minus 16 C degrees, H2O particles in exposed follicles first freeze then expand. This expansion causes the cuticle to break down, this stage is sometimes referred to as frost nipped hair and is a reversible condition.

In more acute cases, as in frost bitten hair the cuticle disappears layer by layer until the cortex is exposed. If left exposed the capillary action of the freezing effect on the H2O particles will move up the hair follicle progressively breaking down the entire cuticle layer. If the entire cortex is exposed the condition is not reversible and the follicle must be removed.

There are no known cases of this condition in the indigenous peoples of the arctic region. Oils secreted into the cuticle layer allow for expansion and contraction during the H2O freezing phase protecting the entire hair follicle.