Hair Ties Worn Around the Wrist May Cause Serious Infections

A spare hair tie is always useful we think. Until it may become a health threat. A recent infection case highlights how hair ties worn around the wrist may cause serious infections.

Audree Kopp of Louisville, Kentucky had been doing what women around the world do on a daily basis. Wearing a hair tie around her wrist for easy access whenever the need arises to put up her hair. Especially since she was in the midst of moving homes and through the hustle and bustle her long wavy hair might have become a nuisance.

However, after a while Audree Kopp observed a red lump on her wrist. Thinking it might have been a small injury or a rash from hitting some object while moving from one house to another, she didn’t pay much attention. Yet, as the red lump continued to grow, she immediately sought medical care.

Admitted in hospital immediately, Audrey Koop was told the growing red lump was an infection. Moved to another hospital for immediate surgical intervention, she was told that the infection had been triggered by the glittery hair tie she had been keeping as a spare on her wrist throughout the whole time.

It was a surprising thought that hair ties worn around the wrist may cause serious infections. Thankfully, the infection just above her wrist did not develop into a severe sepsis case. Nonetheless, during surgery Doctor Amit Gupta of Norton Healthcare took care that all the pus of the growing abscess was drained. Had it reached deeper layers of the skin, the pus could have caused sepsis and triggered a more complicated surgical intervention.

In the aftermath of the surgery, Doctor Gupta informed Audree Kopp that her infection was indeed connected to the hair tie worn around her wrist for a prolonged period of time. A small cut or scratch on Audree’s wrist was sufficient for the bacteria on the hair tie to transfer under skin and be rubbed in by the elastic hair tie, complete with glitter.

What was believed to be an insect bite or a common injury while moving homes turned out to be a potentially dangerous infection caused by a hair tie worn around her wrist. With the risky pus surgically removed Audrey Kopp took to Facebook to warn about the dangers of wearing a hair tie around one’s wrist as a spare.

She stated that the three bacteria strains found in the infection could not have been treated with antibiotics. These were poly negative, strep and staph. Doctor Gupta also advises against wearing hair ties around one’s wrist. If need be, simply place them in a pocket and avoid contact with the skin.

Photo Credits: Flickr

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Anne-Marie Jackson

Anna grew up on a steady diet of 20th century literature, science-fiction movies and Viking lore. Unsurprisingly she turned into a technology geek with an inclination for history & fantasy.