Why do I have burning sensations on my thighs after cold weather?

[spiff69]

Hi, this is my first post here. I also wrote a similar post in the Dermatology Community since I was not sure where it belongs.

About 3 weeks ago I visited northern Sweden. One evening I went outside to watch the northern light. It was about -20 degrees C (-4 F) cold, but very dry air and calm. Went back inside after about 30-40 minutes.

My thighs where red all over, and maybe a bit swollen, and after a while the skin started to feel like pins and needles. The day after I only had a few patches of red skin left but I had a burning sensation and trouble wearing pants.

Today, I still get the burning sensation, and my skin get itchy when I wear pants. The sensations, vary over time, with burning, prickling mostly on my thighs, especially on the inside. Almost nothing on my lower legs.

I have read about other people had similar symptoms, but they disappeared after maybe a few hours, not weeks. Anyone else with similar experience? Could it be nerve damage, e.g. neuropathy? And if yes, can it heal?

On the other hand I was outside the evening before without any symptoms, and my face did not react to the cold weather. I was warmly dressed, but did not wear long-johns. At first I thought it was dry skin or some inflammation, but the skin now look normal, except for some Livedo and it can get a bit red after applying moisturiser. I have had cold urtikaria before, but it's not like this, and then it disappeared after a few hours.

I am really worried I have some permanent damage, any help really appreciated!