There are some things that just defy explanation. This is one of them. Because how the hell did anybody not notice this was happening?
The 'this' in question is a four-year-old girl who had a rubber band around her arm for so long that it began digging into her skin and the flesh of her arm grew around it. We'll wait while you swallow down that wave of nausea.
The child, known only by her nickname Le Le, was taken to hospital by her parents after they spotted the red ring - clearly visible in the picture below - encircling her arm.
Le Le is from Linquan country in China's Eastern Anhui Province and lives with her grandparents. They first took her to hospital at the start of the year after they saw the red ring on her arm, but doctors were unable to identify the condition, putting it down to an infection or allergies.
Of course, the condition got worse - as it would of you have an elastic band embedded in your flesh - so her parents took her to the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, the capital of the neighbouring Zhejiang Province.
That's where Dr Ye Wensong explained to the girl's parents that the growth around her arm had most likely been caused by an elastic band.
Understandably, they didn't believe him - because, again, how do you not notice an infected, flesh-eating elastic band around the wrist of a child? - but agreed to let their daughter stay in the hospital for further analysis.
That included scans, which revealed the elastic band beneath her flesh. The band was then removed during surgery.
According to the Metro, Doctor Ye gave the grandparents a bit of a get out of jail free card.
"Some elders also like to tie thin red strings around children's necks, wrists or fingers for good luck, but the practice comes with risks," he said.
"Thin strings and elastic bands can easily be concealed in the flaps of the child's skin.
"Some young kids are still too young to talk, and the band goes unnoticed by their guardians."
Hopefully Le Le will recover fully with no lasting damage to her arm.
Featured Image Credit: Asia WireTopics: World News, Weird, China, Health