Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesRisk FactorsDiagnosisTreatmentWhen to Get Help
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Risk Factors
Diagnosis
Treatment
When to Get Help
A dent in your head is not always a reason for worry, but it can be a sign of a serious medical problem like a head injury, bone disease, vitamin toxicity, or cancer. While no skull is perfectly smooth, a new dent in your head is worth getting checked out, especially if it is painful, or you are experiencing other new symptoms.This article goes over the causes of a dent in the head and when to see a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.Solskin / Getty ImagesWhat Can Cause a Dent in the Head?No skull is perfectly regular, symmetrical, or smooth. Everyone has small differences in the natural shape of their head, which may include a small indentation or dent.If you’ve always had a dent in your head—for example, you have felt it every time you’ve washed your hair—and it’s not changing, it may not be a reason to worry.However, a new dent in the head or skull could be a sign of one of the following problems and is something to tell your provider about.Head Trauma/InjuryGetting hit in the head can cause skin swelling, a bone fracture, or a collection of blood (hematoma). Sometimes, these bumps on the head get better on their own, but they can also cause serious problems. Even a mild head trauma is capable of causing a dent in the head.Up to 6% of all head injuries and 11% of all severe head traumas cause what’s known as a depressed skull fracture (DSF), in which a skull fracture causes a dent in the head. DSF is considered a catastrophic injury, meaning that it may result in serious complications, including infection, bleeding in the brain, andseizures.Head trauma can make a hole in the membranes that hold the fluid around the brain and spinal cord. If the fluid leaks, a person may get achronic runny nose, typically out of one nostril.A skull fracture may increase the risk of a brain infection. Blood can quickly collect in a hematoma, which can affect a person’s level of consciousness and may even make them unconscious.Vitamin A DeficiencyVitamin A deficiency is also known to cause soft bones, which may result in a dent in your head. In some people, vitamin A deficiency can weaken the bones and make them more likely to fracture.Vitamin A deficiency is most common in Africa and Southeast Asia, with the most severe effects of the deficiency seen in children and pregnant people in low-income countries.In addition to soft and weak bones, vitamin A deficiency can lead to blindness and increase the risk of severe and even life-threatening infections.Vitamin A deficiency is diagnosed with a blood test to measure the level of vitamin A in your blood. If you are experiencing vision symptoms, your provider may also order an eye exam.Depending on the severity of the deficiency, your provider may prescribe high doses of vitamin A in the form of oral supplements for a few days, or lower doses for an extended period of time.What Is Vitamin Toxicity?Paget’s Disease of the BonePaget’s disease of the boneis a condition that makes the bones in the body grow too much.Paget’s can affect bones throughout the body, including the skull, leading to dents and other irregularities. The exact cause of this disease unknown.Paget’s disease is diagnosed based on a person’s signs and symptoms, an X-ray, and an imaging test that uses a tracer to look for bone damage or disease (bone scan).Paget’s disease of bone is thought to affect about 2% of people aged 55 and over who are of northern European descent. In other groups, it’s less common.CancerCancer can spread (metastasize) to different parts of the body, including the bone.When cancer spreads to the bone, it can cause a dent, bump, or other irregularity. Metastatic cancer that’s invading the skull can cause the breakdown of the skull tissue and spread to the brain as well.Imaging tests, such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can identify cancer that is in the skull or brain.What to Know About Bone CancerGorham-Stout SyndromeGorham-Stout syndrome, or “vanishing bone disease,” is a rare condition that causes progressive bone destruction. The condition causes symptoms like swelling, pain, and possible problems related to bone deformities.Complications of bone malformations include hearing loss or nerve impairment if the bone structure interferes with nerve functioning.Can a Dent in Your Head Be Normal?It can be. Anyone can have acongenital skull deformity, meaning they are born with a misshapen head. Such differences are usually harmless and don’t change throughout a person’s life, though they can cause complications like increased pressure around the brain.Risk FactorsCertain lifestyle factors and health conditions can make having a dent in your head more likely.Risk factors for getting a dent in your head include:Repeated head trauma, for example, due to playing contact sportsHealth problems that lead to falls, such as impaired balanceCancerBone diseaseBleeding disordersIf you have one or more risk factors, talk to your provider. They can help you make a plan to stay safe and protect your head.Diagnosing a Dent in the HeadWhen you present to your healthcare provider with a dent in your head, the first thing your provider will do is ask about your medical history and perform a physical exam.The provider willclosely examine your headand assess for other symptoms that may point to the reason for the abnormality.If there could be a problem with the bones, your provider can do anX-ray.They can also do specificbone tests, such as a bone scan, to look for problems like cancer or bone disease.If your provider is concerned the dent in your head could be from cancer, a bone infection, or bone disease, they can take a sample of tissue from the area and send it off to the lab to be looked at more closely (biopsy).Dandruff vs. Scalp Psoriasis: Symptoms, Images, DifferencesTreatmentThe treatment for a dent in your head depends on what’s causing it. A few possible examples include:Antibiotics for abacterial infection of the boneTaking out a big collection of blood (hematoma) through surgeryRadiation therapy or other cancer treatmentSurgery to fix a tear in themembranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord(meningeal tear)Often, a bone fracture will heal on its own. If it is a large fracture or if there is a risk of infection, you might need to limit activity as it’s healing.Is a Dent in the Head Permanent?It depends on what caused it. A dent in your head due to something like wearing a tight gaming headset or bumping your head on a door will be temporary. More severe causes of a dent in the head, such as a bone disease or extreme head trauma, may only be permanent if left untreated.When to See a Healthcare ProviderIt’s important to get medical attention if you or your child develops a new dent in the head, or one that is growing or otherwise changing. You should always tell your provider about a painful head dent, even if it’s small or not changing in shape or size.SummaryIf you notice a new, painful, or changing dent in your head, you should have your provider look at it. While dents in the head can be natural, harmless scalp or skull shape differences, they can also be a sign that something’s wrong. Most of the time, a dent in the head can be fixed with treatment or may even resolve on its own.
A dent in your head is not always a reason for worry, but it can be a sign of a serious medical problem like a head injury, bone disease, vitamin toxicity, or cancer. While no skull is perfectly smooth, a new dent in your head is worth getting checked out, especially if it is painful, or you are experiencing other new symptoms.
This article goes over the causes of a dent in the head and when to see a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
Solskin / Getty Images
What Can Cause a Dent in the Head?
No skull is perfectly regular, symmetrical, or smooth. Everyone has small differences in the natural shape of their head, which may include a small indentation or dent.
If you’ve always had a dent in your head—for example, you have felt it every time you’ve washed your hair—and it’s not changing, it may not be a reason to worry.
However, a new dent in the head or skull could be a sign of one of the following problems and is something to tell your provider about.
Head Trauma/Injury
Getting hit in the head can cause skin swelling, a bone fracture, or a collection of blood (hematoma). Sometimes, these bumps on the head get better on their own, but they can also cause serious problems. Even a mild head trauma is capable of causing a dent in the head.
Up to 6% of all head injuries and 11% of all severe head traumas cause what’s known as a depressed skull fracture (DSF), in which a skull fracture causes a dent in the head. DSF is considered a catastrophic injury, meaning that it may result in serious complications, including infection, bleeding in the brain, andseizures.
Head trauma can make a hole in the membranes that hold the fluid around the brain and spinal cord. If the fluid leaks, a person may get achronic runny nose, typically out of one nostril.
A skull fracture may increase the risk of a brain infection. Blood can quickly collect in a hematoma, which can affect a person’s level of consciousness and may even make them unconscious.
Vitamin A Deficiency
Vitamin A deficiency is also known to cause soft bones, which may result in a dent in your head. In some people, vitamin A deficiency can weaken the bones and make them more likely to fracture.
Vitamin A deficiency is most common in Africa and Southeast Asia, with the most severe effects of the deficiency seen in children and pregnant people in low-income countries.
In addition to soft and weak bones, vitamin A deficiency can lead to blindness and increase the risk of severe and even life-threatening infections.
Vitamin A deficiency is diagnosed with a blood test to measure the level of vitamin A in your blood. If you are experiencing vision symptoms, your provider may also order an eye exam.
Depending on the severity of the deficiency, your provider may prescribe high doses of vitamin A in the form of oral supplements for a few days, or lower doses for an extended period of time.
What Is Vitamin Toxicity?
Paget’s Disease of the Bone
Paget’s disease of the boneis a condition that makes the bones in the body grow too much.Paget’s can affect bones throughout the body, including the skull, leading to dents and other irregularities. The exact cause of this disease unknown.
Paget’s disease is diagnosed based on a person’s signs and symptoms, an X-ray, and an imaging test that uses a tracer to look for bone damage or disease (bone scan).
Paget’s disease of bone is thought to affect about 2% of people aged 55 and over who are of northern European descent. In other groups, it’s less common.
Cancer
Cancer can spread (metastasize) to different parts of the body, including the bone.
When cancer spreads to the bone, it can cause a dent, bump, or other irregularity. Metastatic cancer that’s invading the skull can cause the breakdown of the skull tissue and spread to the brain as well.
Imaging tests, such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can identify cancer that is in the skull or brain.
What to Know About Bone Cancer
Gorham-Stout Syndrome
Gorham-Stout syndrome, or “vanishing bone disease,” is a rare condition that causes progressive bone destruction. The condition causes symptoms like swelling, pain, and possible problems related to bone deformities.
Complications of bone malformations include hearing loss or nerve impairment if the bone structure interferes with nerve functioning.
Can a Dent in Your Head Be Normal?It can be. Anyone can have acongenital skull deformity, meaning they are born with a misshapen head. Such differences are usually harmless and don’t change throughout a person’s life, though they can cause complications like increased pressure around the brain.
Can a Dent in Your Head Be Normal?
It can be. Anyone can have acongenital skull deformity, meaning they are born with a misshapen head. Such differences are usually harmless and don’t change throughout a person’s life, though they can cause complications like increased pressure around the brain.
Certain lifestyle factors and health conditions can make having a dent in your head more likely.
Risk factors for getting a dent in your head include:
If you have one or more risk factors, talk to your provider. They can help you make a plan to stay safe and protect your head.
Diagnosing a Dent in the Head
When you present to your healthcare provider with a dent in your head, the first thing your provider will do is ask about your medical history and perform a physical exam.
The provider willclosely examine your headand assess for other symptoms that may point to the reason for the abnormality.
If there could be a problem with the bones, your provider can do anX-ray.They can also do specificbone tests, such as a bone scan, to look for problems like cancer or bone disease.
If your provider is concerned the dent in your head could be from cancer, a bone infection, or bone disease, they can take a sample of tissue from the area and send it off to the lab to be looked at more closely (biopsy).
Dandruff vs. Scalp Psoriasis: Symptoms, Images, Differences
The treatment for a dent in your head depends on what’s causing it. A few possible examples include:
Often, a bone fracture will heal on its own. If it is a large fracture or if there is a risk of infection, you might need to limit activity as it’s healing.
Is a Dent in the Head Permanent?It depends on what caused it. A dent in your head due to something like wearing a tight gaming headset or bumping your head on a door will be temporary. More severe causes of a dent in the head, such as a bone disease or extreme head trauma, may only be permanent if left untreated.
Is a Dent in the Head Permanent?
It depends on what caused it. A dent in your head due to something like wearing a tight gaming headset or bumping your head on a door will be temporary. More severe causes of a dent in the head, such as a bone disease or extreme head trauma, may only be permanent if left untreated.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
It’s important to get medical attention if you or your child develops a new dent in the head, or one that is growing or otherwise changing. You should always tell your provider about a painful head dent, even if it’s small or not changing in shape or size.
Summary
If you notice a new, painful, or changing dent in your head, you should have your provider look at it. While dents in the head can be natural, harmless scalp or skull shape differences, they can also be a sign that something’s wrong. Most of the time, a dent in the head can be fixed with treatment or may even resolve on its own.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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