Today, even though social norms claim to not be “judgmental,” the way you look says a lot about yourself. Both men and women want to sport the latest hairstyles, or fashion trends. The saying “if you look good, you feel good” is true to some extent. Wearing hats can be traced back as far as 500 B.C. Today, hats are a staple in fashion and sports. Five-panels, snapbacks, fitted, beanies, etc., the list goes on. Helmets are also frequently worn for work or sports.
What some may not know is wearing hats daily can cause stress on your hair. Wearing hats, and beanies all day, adds pressure on your hair. In-turn, adding physical stress to your hair. The pressure of a hat or beanie pressing down on your hair follicles, compressing your hair, not allowing your hair to breathe, clogging your pores if you sweat, can kill hair follicles, and lead to hair going to the telogen phase, which can lead to hair loss caused by telogen effluvium over time, because hair is under physical stress. If you wear hats tight on your head, doing so can lead to thinning hair around the sides of your head, which can lead to pattern baldness.
Another type of baldness that may be caused due to frequent use of hats, beanies, or turbans is Traction Alopecia. Traction Alopecia is caused over time when hats, beanies, helmets, or turbans rub against an area on the scalp frequently causing “traction” or pulling. Constant tension and stress to hair in the same area caused by “traction” can lead to inflamed hair follicles or hair being pulled out completely by the roots. Over time, the damage to the hair follicles will become atrophied, if you don’t stop the problem, it may reach a point where the follicles will no longer be able to produce hair.
Don’t be alarmed, Traction Alopecia can be slowed down and even reversed. If you notice after wearing hats or beanies daily for a month or two that your hair is flat, causing you to have constant “helmet hair” or “hat hair” when you are not wearing a hat, or beanie, just stop wearing them until your hair is not flat and becomes thicker.
