Hidden Danger That Can Permanently Harm Your Baby

Babies’ tiny toes and fingers are perfect for counting and kissing — but they are also susceptible to damage from a single strand of hair.

A stray strand of hair, wrapped around a baby’s toe or finger, can actually cause major damage by cutting off circulation. Doctors describe when a toe turns purple or red in reaction to being strangled by a piece of hair as “toe tourniquet syndrome,” reports MSNBC.com.

The problem does not always involve toes; a 1988 Pediatrics study reviewed 60 “hair-thread tourniquet syndrome” cases and found 24 incidents involved toes, 14 involved fingers, and 22 incidents reported hair wrapped around babies’ genitals. 

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Unfortunately, some children end up having to lose their affected appendage because of late detection. Massachusetts surgeon Dr. Timothy Lepore shared with The New York Times health writer Pam Belluck: “I didn’t know anything about toe tourniquet syndrome when I had my two kids. It’s not in any pregnancy books or first-year books. You’d think the hair would break, but it’s apparently very strong and can get 100 revolutions around a tiny toe if you have long hair.”

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While these cases are rare, Lepore urges parents to be aware of the potential threat and to speak up if a doctor does not recognize hair-thread tourniquet syndrome as a possible cause of an appendage losing circulation. 

Have you ever heard of toe tourniquet syndrome?