Understanding Vacuum Chignon: Why That Round Swelling After Birth Is Usually Harmless

ByHemali Ramchandani
Updated: 3 Dec 2025, 10:30 am
Medical Reviewed by Dr. Savitha Shetty

A small swelling or bump on your newborn’s scalp after a vacuum-assisted delivery can look alarming, but it’s usually harmless and temporary. Known as a chignon, this soft swelling forms where the vacuum cup was applied to help guide your baby out during birth. While it can resemble other birth swellings like caput succedaneum or cephalohematoma, a chignon typically resolves within a few days without treatment. Understanding why it happens and how to distinguish it from more serious complications can ease much of the worry new parents feel in those first moments after delivery.

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When you first hold your baby after birth, you expect smooth skin and a perfect little head. Instead, many parents notice a soft, raised area, sometimes bruised or cone-shaped, on the baby’s scalp. If your delivery involved vacuum assistance, this is most likely a chignon. It forms from the suction used to help your baby’s head pass through the birth canal.
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Although the sight can be unsettling, a chignon isn’t an injury in the true sense. It’s a pressure-related swelling that fades naturally. To understand it better, it helps to know what happens during a vacuum-assisted birth and how your baby’s skull adapts to the process.

What Is a Vacuum “Chignon”?

A chignon is a temporary swelling of the scalp that occurs when a vacuum extractor (also called a ventouse) is used during delivery.
  • Mechanism: During a vacuum-assisted birth, a soft or hard suction cup is placed on the baby’s head. Gentle suction is applied to help guide the baby as you push. This suction draws a small portion of scalp tissue into the cup, creating a raised, circular swelling, the chignon.
  • Texture and appearance: The swelling feels soft, slightly firm, or squishy. It’s typically centred on the top or back of the baby’s head, right where the cup was placed.
  • Duration: It usually subsides within 12 to 48 hours after birth, though mild bruising may take 2–3 days to fade.
A chignon is not the same as trauma or a brain injury. It sits on the outermost layer of the scalp and does not affect the skull or brain.

Why Vacuum Assistance Is Sometimes Needed

Vacuum extraction is a safe, commonly used technique when labour needs help progressing. Your doctor may choose it when:
  • The baby’s head is low in the birth canal, but pushing has slowed.
  • You’re exhausted after long labour.
  • The baby’s heart rate suggests mild distress, and a quick delivery is needed.
  • You have a medical condition where prolonged pushing isn’t advisable (like hypertension or heart disease).
The vacuum helps your baby descend without resorting to a C-section or forceps, both of which can carry higher risks in some situations.

When performed by a skilled obstetrician, the procedure is brief and controlled. However, because suction is applied to delicate scalp tissue, minor swelling (chignon) is almost inevitable.

How a Chignon Differs from Other Common Scalp Swellings
It’s easy to mistake a vacuum-related swelling for something else. Here’s how to tell them apart:
Type
 Where it appears
 Cause
 Key features
 Resolution time
Chignon

At the site of the vacuum cup

Suction pressure

Soft, circular, may show mild redness

1–2 days

Caput succedaneum
Anywhere scalp pressed during birth
Pressure from the cervix or vaginal walls
Crosses skull sutures, feels puffy
2–4 days
Cephalohematoma
Under the scalp but above the skull bone
Rupture of small blood vessels
Does not cross sutures, feels firm, may appear later
1–3 weeks
Subgaleal haemorrhage (rare)
Deep under scalp tissues
Bleeding after vacuum use
Fluctuating, spreading swelling may cause pallor or low BP
Emergency – needs immediate care

Most babies with a chignon are otherwise alert, active, and feeding well. Persistent or enlarging swelling, pale skin, or lethargy should be reported immediately, as these could indicate deeper bleeding rather than a simple chignon.

What Causes the Swelling

The swelling develops for a simple reason: temporary fluid shift and mild pressure injury under the scalp skin.
  • The suction from the vacuum draws up scalp tissue and capillaries, leading to mild oedema (fluid build-up).
  • Tiny blood vessels may rupture slightly, causing surface redness or bruising.
  • Once the vacuum is released, circulation normalises, and the body reabsorbs the fluid naturally.
The pressure from the cup is carefully controlled; the baby’s skull bones are flexible and designed to mould safely during birth.

How Doctors Monitor and Diagnose It

Right after birth, your paediatrician or neonatologist will:
  • Examine the swelling for size, softness, and location.
  • Check vital signs to rule out complications like jaundice or blood loss.
  • Observe the head shape and whether the swelling crosses skull sutures.
No imaging is needed unless the swelling is unusually large, firm, or spreading. In rare cases where deeper bleeding (subgaleal haemorrhage) is suspected, doctors may recommend an ultrasound or CT scan for confirmation.

Your care team will also watch for signs of:
  • Excessive irritability or poor feeding
  • Paleness or drop in haemoglobin
  • Persistent swelling beyond 72 hours
If none of these appear, reassurance is all that’s required.

What You Can Expect in the First Few Days

  • The swelling may feel squishy right after birth, then slightly firmer as fluid redistributes.
  • By the second day, it begins to flatten out.
  • Minor bruising or a faint mark may remain for a week.
  • Hair growth is unaffected, and no scarring develops.
If the area feels unusually hard or the swelling grows instead of shrinking, inform your doctor of re-evaluation.

Can It Cause Any Complications?

A true chignon rarely causes lasting problems. However, vacuum-assisted deliveries carry a small risk of related conditions:
  • Mild jaundice: Bruised tissue can increase bilirubin levels. Your doctor will monitor this and treat it if needed.
  • Scalp blistering: Occasionally, tiny blisters form under the suction site; these heal quickly.
  • Subgaleal haemorrhage: A very rare but serious complication involving bleeding under the scalp. It requires immediate hospital care and is monitored closely in all vacuum deliveries.
Fortunately, most babies with a simple chignon recover fully without any intervention.

Traditional and Modern Aftercare

In India, elders often advise protecting the baby’s head through gentle handling and oil application. While cultural practices can provide comfort, always follow medical advice first.
Modern care recommendations:
  • Avoid pressing or massaging the swelling.
  • Use a soft pillow or a folded cloth to support the head.
  • Keep the scalp clean and dry; avoid applying oil or herbal pastes until the swelling disappears.
  • Attend the baby’s routine postnatal check-up within 48–72 hours.
A vacuum chignon may look dramatic in the first few hours after birth, but it’s almost always a temporary, self-resolving sign of the birth process. With simple observation and gentle care, it disappears without consequences. Understanding this normal phenomenon helps you focus less on the swelling and more on those first precious days of connection with your baby.

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FAQs on Understanding Vacuum Chignon: Why That Round Swelling After Birth Is Usually Harmless

  1. How long does a vacuum chignon take to heal?
    Most chignons fade within 24–48 hours, though mild bruising can last a few extra days.
  2. Can a chignon turn into a more serious problem?
    Rarely. If swelling spreads, hardens, or your baby appears unwell, your doctor may check for deeper bleeding, such as a subgaleal haemorrhage.
  3. Will my baby have a permanent mark or hair loss?
    No. The swelling involves skin and soft tissue only; it doesn’t scar or affect hair follicles.
  4. Can I massage or apply oil to the swollen area?
    Not until the swelling fully resolves. Once your paediatrician confirms healing, light oil massage for bonding and relaxation is safe.
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