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MARQUETTE -- With U.P. winters comes fun activities such as snowmobiling, skiing, and sledding.  But the bone chilling temperatures can also bring some serious health concerns.

"Frostbite is when the tissue actually starts to die because it's killing the cells," says Bonnie Kilpela, a Physicians Assistant for Marquette General.

If severe enough, frostbite can cause permanent damage, even amputation of skin tissue.  Chilblains is another, less dangerous, case.

"The tissue doesn't actually freeze; the tissue just gets almost to freezing, and then you get all these little red bumps or sores on your skin," Kilpela says.

The key to protecting yourself from the bitter temperatures--layer up.  You're going to want to start with a polypropylene or wool layer and then put a wind and water resistant coat on top of it.

"Most important thing is that you don't wear cotton just 'cause if you do so outside and you're working hard, it'll just stay wet the whole time and then you'll freeze as soon as you stop moving," says Ross Herr of Down Wind Sports in Marquette.

You'll also want to protect your fingers with mittens and your toes with waterproof boots.

"Your fingers and toes are the furthest away from your heart, and the heart brings the blood, and when you have blood flow, you have warmth," Kilpela says.

To remedy minor cases of frostbite or frost nip, Kilpela recommends going inside and running your hands under warm, not hot, water.  But if skin redness or pain persists, you should seek medical attention.