Hair tourniquets usually affect children until they reach approximately one and a half years of age (Shutterstock)

Parents make a tremendous effort to protect their children and ensure their safety, trying to provide everything required to care for the little ones throughout the day, and to maintain their growth and development without problems.

But what many do not know is that there are health risks that may affect children through ordinary things they are exposed to almost throughout the day, such as hair, as a phenomenon called “hair band” can threaten their small limbs with swelling, inflammation, or even amputation if it is not paid attention to in time. the appropriate.

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What is a "hair tourniquet"?

A hair tourniquet occurs when a strand of hair, or just one long hair, and in some cases a thin, delicate thread, wraps around part of an infant's body, cutting off blood circulation.

This hair tourniquet can damage nerves and skin tissue and stop the function of the affected part of the body if it is not paid attention to in time.

Hair tourniquets may affect the toes of infants, especially as they develop their ability to crawl, or they may affect the toes, genitals, or any other extremities that are exposed to pick up dust, hair, thread, and other fine dirt that sometimes covers home furnishings and carpets.

Hair tourniquets may damage nerves and skin tissue (social media sites)

Hair tourniquets usually affect infants as young as one and a half years old, because at this stage their fingers are usually so small that hair can get wrapped around them without being noticed.

Because new mothers lose some of their hair in the first year after birth, the risk of the child being exposed to hair in one way or another increases, even if he is not able to crawl.

This can happen through the child's natural and daily contact with clothes, bedding, and covers, or even through embrace by his parents, family, and friends.

However, it is not known why the hair or thread wraps around the child’s limbs so tightly, but one possible explanation is that repeated movement of a part of the body in a limited space - such as the toes in pajamas - leads to the hair being tightly wrapped in this way.

One of the risks of the problem is that it may continue until it becomes serious, as it may be difficult to see the hair because once it is cut or embedded in the skin, the surrounding skin can grow over the wound, which causes serious complications.

The hair tourniquet usually becomes very painful, so the baby is likely to cry a lot for no apparent reason (Shutterstock)

Symptoms of child infection

When hair or thread becomes tightly wrapped around a child's affected limb, it can cause pain and swelling. In severe cases, this can restrict blood flow to your child's limbs.

If the problem is not noticed early, the thread or hair is removed, and the correct treatment is provided to restore normal blood flow in the finger, the child may be exposed to serious complications such as tissue death or bone erosion, which may require amputation of the finger.

The hair tourniquet usually becomes very painful, so the baby is likely to cry a lot, so the real reason for the baby's constant crying should not be ignored and all parts of his body are normal.

If your baby is crying or appears in pain, and you've tried the traditional routine of diaper changes, feedings, and putting the baby to sleep to no avail, it's a good idea to search his entire body for a possible hair tourniquet.

Classic signs and symptoms of infection include:

  • Excessive baby crying for no apparent reason.

  • Notice a fine, sunken line on one of the child's limbs.

  • Redness or discoloration of the finger, toe, tongue, or genitals in male children.

  • Mild, moderate, or severe swelling in one of those limbs.

  • A hair tourniquet can also cause a complication called ischemia, which is a lack of blood flow to the affected area and thus discoloration from the rest of the body.

Methods of treatment and management of the problem

When the above-mentioned symptoms are seen, but without the swelling worsening in the affected child’s limb, you can try to untie or cut the thread or hair with extreme caution.

If the swelling is severe, do not try to remove or cut the hair or thread yourself, as this may exacerbate the problem. Instead, go to the nearest doctor or specialized clinic.

In some severe cases, surgery under general anesthesia may be necessary if the hair is stuck too deeply (pixels).

In this case, the doctor will examine your child under good lighting. If the hair is visible, it will be removed using medical scissors and tweezers.

The doctor may use a hair removal agent to dissolve the strand if the hair is stubborn and cannot be easily removed from your child's finger.

In some severe cases, surgery under general anesthesia may be necessary if the hair is stuck too deeply and the skin over the wound it caused has healed.

In general, this problem can be prevented simply by paying special attention to the child's limbs and examining them under strong lighting as soon as possible. Make sure to remove any hair or thread stuck in its body before it wraps tightly around one of the limbs due to friction and constant movement.

Source: Al Jazeera + websites