The freezing weather comes with certain precautions, such as wearing extra layers, and keeping your hands and head warm.

Well, this is more important for some people than others, and the reason why may stun you.

Have you ever experienced, or noticed someone else dealing with white fingers when the temperatures are low? If yes, this is the reason why.

In fact, if a person’s fingers, or a single finger or toe, turn white in the cold, they are probably suffering from a condition known as Raynaud’s phenomenon or Raynaud’s syndrome.

This condition is a result from the narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood to the skin narrow, restricting the blood flow. This causes the affected area to change color to white. However, as the blood returns, the color changes into blue and then red.

Not only having your fingers go white looks rather odd, it can also cause an unpleasant sensation of numbness and pain.

What is interesting about this condition is that is it more common in women than in men.

The symptoms can last from a couple of minutes to several hours.

Further, a person can stop experiencing this over time before they go without symptoms for some time.

The fingers and the toes are not the only parts of the body that can be affected by Raynaud’s syndrome. The nose, the ears, the lips, and even the nipples can turn white due to this condition.

However, Raynaud’s syndrome isn’t only triggered by the cold, but also by stress and anxiety, as well as by working with vibrating tools for a longer period of time.

In many cases, preventing the fingers from going white due to this narrowing of the blood vessels is possible by wearing gloves, and trying to avoid stressful situations.

Quitting smoking can also help with the symptoms.

Severe complications such as ulcers, scarring and even tissue death (gangrene) are rare.