Babies suffering from too tight socks

Children could be left with scars as a result of too tight infant socks, according to a new report.

A study, published in the Journal of Dermatology, has reported several incidents of "sock-line bands", reddish, raised marks around the ankle of leg that are created by the elastic bands on socks. One case involved an 11-month-old girl who had developed them at one week old as a result of the socks.

The tight elastic can cause "hyperpigmentation" where the skin becomes darker than the surrounding area and leave raised lines of skin-coloured lesions, said experts at Washington University School of Medicine and St Louis Children's Hospital in the US in a letter to the journal.

"The disorder 'acquired raised bands of infancy' is characterised by skin-coloured, often diagonal plaques on the arms, trunk or legs, including the thighs as well as the calves," said one of the report's authors, Dr David Berk.

Dr Colin Holden of the British Association of Dermatologists added: "While these bands are generally harmless, it is valuable for researchers to be able to discuss this possible new phenomenon in relation to already established skin disorders".