Scott and Jessica Walker learned about hair tourniquet in January, when their 19-week-old daughter, Molly, would not quit crying one day. Jessica fortunately removed the baby’s socks to cool her off, and the new parents found a strand of hair wrapped around Molly’s toe. They were able to remove the hair with tweezers and the aid of a magnifying glass, but the baby’s skin was cut and the toe remained red and swollen 45 minutes later, as the hair had actually cut through the skin. Their doctor told them when they took Molly in to have her toe checked that it could have been much worse if they had not discovered it sooner.
Scott took to Facebook to warn other new parents and his post went viral, shared more than 25,000 times and gaining more than 36,000 likes. Scott wrote “It ended very well, but it was scary enough where I wouldn’t want anyone else to deal with something like that.
The situation happened quickly. Molly had a bath the night before, and was dressed for the day at around 9:30 a.m., at which time she was fine. The hair was discovered shortly after noon. Jessica is a Kansas Surgery and Recovery Center nurse, and knew about the condition, and was able to take care of it.
Amy Seery is a pediatrician at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She said that hair tourniquet most commonly happens with penises, fingers, toes, wrists and ankles. Babies often grab onto adults’ hair and some of the strands can end up in places like diapers or socks. The piece of hair, or possibly a thread wraps around a body part and constricts normal blood flow, causing pain. In severe cases it can lead to infection or tissue death.
Infants under 4 months of age are most at risk, since this is the time when new mothers are losing the extra hair they grew during pregnancy to hormonal changes. The hair tourniquet must be removed immediately, and may require local anesthetic or a sedative to relax the infant. The skin may actually have to be cut in order to unwrap the hair. Antibiotics may be necessary. A physician or other caregiver should be consulted immediately.