A father in Kansas shared a photo of his baby’s foot to warn other parents about a dangerous condition that many might not know about.
He said Molly, one day, was “cranky and screaming -- nothing out of the ordinary” and started to overheat, according to his post.
Molly’s mother then took off the child’s socks. Then she noticed something amiss with her toe.
“This is called a hair tourniquet, which is literally a strand of hair that, while inside a sock, unexplainably wraps around a toe so tight that it can cut through the skin and potentially cut off blood circulation,” Walker wrote in the post.
The photo of the child’s foot was taken about 45 minutes after the “hair tourniquet” was removed.
“Unfortunately, the hair managed to cut all the way through Molly’s skin, completely around her toe, but it could have been worse had it gone much longer untreated, or if the hair wasn’t accessible,” Walker said in the post.
“The doctor told me, for future reference, to always check the toes if the baby is inconsolable,” he continued.
According to Healthline, a hair tourniquet can cause damage to nerves, skin, and other body parts.
They can become very painful, leading to a crying and fussy baby.
“Hair tourniquets are dangerous if they go unnoticed for too long. Babies risk injuring or losing the affected body part. Hair tourniquets can also cause a complication called ischemia, which is a lack of blood flow to the affected area,” the health news website says.
“Had a small scare this afternoon with Ms. Molly. What happened was new to me, but apparently not totally uncommon, so I figured I'd share with my fellow parents out there.
I was with the family over lunch and Molly was cranky and screaming--nothing out of the ordinary. As worked up as she was getting, she started to overheat, which prompted Jess to remove her socks and cool her down. That’s when we saw her toe. This is called a hair tourniquet, which is literally a strand of hair that, while inside a sock, unexplainably wraps around a toe so tight that it can cut through the skin and potentially cut off blood circulation.
Luckily for Molly, she has a mother with medical emergency superpowers who was able to remove the hair with tweezers and a magnifying glass within a few minutes. This picture was taken about 45 minutes after the hair was removed. Unfortunately, the hair managed to cut all the way through Molly’s skin, completely around her toe, but it could have been worse had it gone much longer untreated, or if the hair wasn’t accessible.
The doctor told me, for future reference, to always check the toes if the baby is inconsolable. Just an FYI to any parents or care takers out there.”
