Is baby's scalp hematoma serious?

Baby's scalp hematoma is a subcutaneous hemorrhagic disease. Needle-tip-sized petechiae often form at the bleeding site, and they appear in patches. This disease often does not cause obvious subjective symptoms, but when the hematoma is severe, it may require New Year's Eve or incision and drainage treatment. It should also be noted that the baby's scalp hematoma is a disease that has a certain degree of self-healing ability, and it will disappear on its own in some children as their bodies grow slowly.

Most scalp hematomas are caused by excessive squeezing and friction between the fetal head and the pelvis during delivery, or by minor surgeries such as vacuum extraction and forceps delivery when spontaneous delivery is difficult, which leads to traction of the skull periosteum, causing rupture of the subperiosteal blood vessels and accumulation of blood under the periosteum. However, it may also happen to babies delivered by caesarean section. For example, the blood vessels of newborns are very fragile, and even slight damage can cause bleeding. Low platelet count and abnormal coagulation factors can also be causes of bleeding.

The scalp is a layer of dense soft tissue on the outside of the skull, rich in vascular tissue. It is composed of skin, subcutaneous tissue, galea aponeurotica, subaponeurotic layer and periosteum. When the head is subjected to external force, blood vessels rupture and bleed to form a hematoma. Subperiosteal hematoma does not extend beyond the bone joints and is also harder. It is the most common type of hematoma. Its bleeding characteristics are that the hematoma has clear boundaries, is often confined to the parietal bone, and feels fluctuating to the touch.

Because there is blood in the tumor, when the blood reaches a certain amount, the pressure generated compresses the blood vessels to stop bleeding, and the hematoma will no longer continue to grow. After that, it will gradually be absorbed and calcified. After about 2-3 months, the hematoma will become smaller and harder, and finally it will protrude from the head like a "horn", which indicates that the hematoma is basically healed. For some babies, it may last longer, even for several months. Your baby is now one year old, and it doesn’t matter if the scalp hematoma has not been absorbed yet. It’s just a matter of how fast the hematoma is absorbed.

If the baby has a hematoma on his head, the mother can apply hot compress treatment on the area with the hematoma. In order to prevent infection, you can also apply some ointments with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. If the hematoma is more serious, be sure to take the child to a specialist hospital for a detailed examination in time, and choose medication for treatment according to the doctor's advice.