The idea that wearing hats can make you bald is simply a myth. It is one of the so many other myths evolving in the world. There is no evidence of how this myth started, but there is a reference to this myth from early 1929, which is a book called The Childs Heredity by P.B. Popenoe. Although, the book is also trying to debunk the already established myth of hats and baldness. Mr. Popenoe was also trying to analyze what causes baldness.
What kind of baldness is behind the myth?
The term used for hair loss is called “alopecia,” which refers to any type of baldness. There are a vast number of reasons that can cause baldness, including chemotherapy or any other medical, stress, and scalp infection. There is a countless number of diseases that can cause baldness or just result in hair loss. The pattern balding of both men and women is called androgenetic alopecia (AGA), which is by far the most common kind of balding seen in approx, 90% of males. But there are fewer cases of female balding.
The type of balding which is put forward by the myth of hat-causing baldness is known as
“Traction alopecia.” The meaning behind alopecia is pulling the hair too hard that it falls out and causes damage to the hair follicle. It is also known as “Scarring alopecia,” which is a rare type of balding that accounts for only 7% of cases of balding in the U.S.
There is no such evidence that why traction alopecia, is also considered as scarry alopecia though it is quite limited.
Is it true that wearing tight hats or normal hats can cause traction alopecia?
With growing age, our hair follicles start getting shrunk, which results in lighter, more beautiful, and shorter hair. In the end, hair starts falling off, never to come back. There are two known things to make this process happen that includes testosterone hormone, and the other one is the gene associated with baldness.
Wearing hats does not affect the testosterone levels and also won’t affect the Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) production in the hair follicles. Also, if you put a bucket on your head, it won’t still affect the Prostaglandin D 2 (PGD2) gene. Wearing of hats can not cause problems like androgenetic alopecia (AGA).
Traction alopecia can occur due to scarring, which does not allow the follicles to regrow properly. It is mostly seen in the people who wear their hair tightly like ponytails, tight braids, hair extensions, and corn-rows. It is possible to have alopecia due to hats, only if you wear tight hats that can cause both headaches and hair-pulling. Until and unless you are a masochist who likes to wear it tight, you won’t face problems like hair fall and baldness. Thus, it is proven that it is not possible to get bald because of wearing hats.
