My baby nearly lost his toe after hair wrapped around it – my warning to parents on the rare syndrome not to ignore
A MOTHER claims her baby could have lost a toe when a strand of HAIR wrapped around it and acted as a tourniquet by cutting off the circulation for days.
Sara Ward says she first noticed a red line going across the middle toe of her son’s right foot — but didn’t think it could be anything besides a minor irritation.
But over the next few days, five-month-old Logan’s toe began to swell and turn red before the family’s pediatrician confirmed it was a hair tourniquet — a strand of hair tightly wrapped around little Logan’s toe that was causing swelling and redness, making it difficult to see the hair itself.
The mom admits that she had never heard of Hair Tourniquet Syndrome before but says doctors explained that it likely happened because a hair got caught in her son’s pajamas and became wrapped around his toe as he kicked and moved in his sleep.
Sara said that at first, the pediatrician tried to remove the hair and actually got a small piece of it out.
“They spent a good 40 minutes or so trying to get the hair and they had all these different tools that they were using – tweezers, magnifying goggles, and special lights.”
After removing a small piece, the doctor sent the family home to keep an eye on it and told them to look out for any worsening in the swelling or color.
Just hours later, they ended up admitting Logan to a children’s hospital in St. Louis as the toe began to look “purple” as the circulation was increasingly being cut off.
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The 33-year-old mother said that nurses and doctors tried countless methods during Logan’s overnight stay at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital to try to remove the hair — including hair removal cream, tweezers, and scissors — but nothing worked.
“The toe was very painful for my son so he was crying and kicking and couldn’t keep still as they were trying to get a better look at it.”
Doctors warned the mother-of-three that if Logan’s condition didn’t improve, he would need surgery to remove the hair strand and save his bulging toe.
“With him being so young it was definitely very scary to think that he could have to go through an actual surgery to be able to remove it,” she said.
“I was in shock that it was getting to this point because I had never heard of Hair Tourniquet Syndrome and that there could be this much danger just from a strand of hair.”
The following day, after further efforts to remove the hair, the parents were relieved when Logan’s toe began to return to a healthy pink color and they were discharged without having to undergo surgery.
WARNING TO PARENTS
Sara has now shared shocking photos of her son’s injured toe to warn other parents about Hair Tourniquet Syndrome — and to urge them to seek help straight away.
“A lot of people think ‘it’s just a piece of hair, how can you not see it and get it?’ but it’s really difficult with the swelling and the skin starts to kind of form over the hair,” she shared.
“Plus you have a baby that’s kicking and screaming the whole time which makes it more difficult.”
Sara says she is now “vigilant” in checking her little one’s fingers and toes for any strands of hair, knowing just how dangerous they can be.
“I would encourage other parents to have awareness about this if they do see a hair wrapping around their child’s toes or fingers to remove it as quickly as they can before it starts to constrict and swell and if they can’t get it to seek medical attention.”
A spokesperson for SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital said: “While not seen frequently, hair tourniquets can be dangerous for young children.”
“Parents should keep an eye on fingers and toes as well as the penis in little boys, particularly if your child is crying for an unidentifiable reason.”
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