A baby girl could have lost her toes if not for a humble tube of hair removal cream.
Kristina Clarke, from Sydney, was changing her daughter Bryleigh's nappy when she noticed her toes were bright purple and swollen.
Panicking, Ms Clarke realised the five month old's foot was tangled in hair so tightly it had cut off the circulation to her toes.
What a relief: Kristina Clarke and her daughter Bryleigh after a painful ordeal with the five month old's foot
Tangled toes: Bryleigh's toes became purple and swollen after a loose hair wrapped itself around them
The mother-of-three tugged at the hair to yank it loose but that only pulled it tighter.
Next, she used nail clippers to cut the hair away but was forced to stop when baby Bryleigh's foot started bleeding.
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Kristina says: 'I was getting her ready for her bottle and, a little bit unusually, I had dressed her in socks and tights.
'I took her sock off and her toes were swollen and purple – hair was tangled around them.
'I freaked out. We tried to cut it off with nail clippers but it just made it worse. Her toes started bleeding.'
Happy baby: The hair was wrapped so tightly around Bryleigh's toes they turned bright purple and started bleeding. She is pictured at home after the hair was removed
The nervous parents rushed their daughter to Blacktown Hospital where doctors also struggled to loosen the tangled hair.
'At Blacktown they used a stitch cutter to try and get it loose,' Kristina says.
'We waited for four hours after they cut some of the hair loose but one of her toes was still swollen.
'We thought about going home but I could never forgive myself if we did and she ended up losing a toe.'
Welcome home: Five-month-old Bryleigh was taken home safe and sound after doctors removed the tangled hair from her foot
A mother's warning: In 18 years of parenting Kristina says she had never come across hair tourniquet syndrome. She says all mums should keep a can of hair removal cream handy just in case
After a nervy four-hour wait the swelling in Bryleigh's foot had worsened and the couple were sent to Westmead Children's Hospital to see an orthopaedic surgeon.
HAIR TOURNIQUET SYNDROME IS RELATIVELY COMMON IN INFANTS
Hair tourniquet syndromeinfants
It happens when tightly-wrapped hair cuts off the blood supply to a child's digits.
It is usually loose hair lodged in socks but can also be threads of fabric from bedding or clothes.
It typically affects fingers or toes but can also affect earlobes and even genitals.
Swollen, purple digits are a common and easy to spot symptom of the syndrome.
It is easy to remove tangled hair although in rare cases digits may need to be amputated.
Source: NCBI
Finally, the surgeon hit upon the idea of using hair removal cream to get rid of the pesky hair.
'I was absolutely baffled when they brought the cream out,' Kristina says.
'I thought it was numbing cream or something for an operation.'
Although the incident baffled Kristina, doctors told her it was the third case of hair tourniquet syndrome they had seen that week.
'I honestly thought she was going to lose her toe. I've been a mum for 18 years and it has never even crossed my mind.
'But doctors said it was the third case they had seen that week.
'It seems everyone knows about this but no one knows what to do about it.'
Kristina has a simple message for any mums that find themselves in a similar position.
'Trust your instincts.
'Don't panic - but if you feel like your child needs to go to hospital there is nothing wrong with taking them there.
'And always keep a can of hair removal cream handy.'
