Does Wearing A Hat Cause Baldness?

We get asked a lot of different questions around the subject of hair loss and what can actually cause it. There are a lot of different myths and misconceptions around how we lose our hair and a question we often get asked in the summer months is, does wearing a hat cause hair loss?

Today we’re going to look into hair loss, what causes it, and we’re going to let you know if wearing a hat can affect your hair loss.

How Does Hair Loss Happen?

Hair loss can happen for a number of different reasons and there isn’t one single reason for hair loss. Hair loss can happen due to stress, hormones, age and even your genes.

One of the main types of hair loss is male pattern baldness – also known as androgenic alopecia, something that most men will experience at some point in their life. It is estimated to affect up to 70% of men, as well as 40% of women.

Male pattern baldness is a result of the hair follicles shrinking due to the effects of androgenic hormones. The two androgens that are involved in hair loss are testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). These hormones break down the hair growth cycle and shorten the growth phase of the hair. However, the shedding phase remains the same. This causes hair to fall out faster than it can grow.

So, Can Wearing A Hat Cause Hair Loss?

Given that the most common causes of hair loss such as androgenic alopecia, stress and age are all related to our hormones and hair follicles changing within our body, it is unlikely that wearing a hat makes you bald.

A lot of people believe that wearing a hat will cause baldness. However, there is no scientific research that shows hats can cause hair loss. There is a myth that wearing a hat can cut off the circulation to the hair follicles, but this is highly unlikely. Unless you’re wearing the world’s tightest hat every day, then it could be a possibility.

One reason people believe wearing a hat cause hair loss is because when they take it off at the end of they day the notice hair left inside the hat. This can be a worry to some, but it is completely normal to lose on average 100 strands of hair a day, and your hat is just collecting those throughout the day.

Other people who wear hats on an almost daily basis might start to notice areas of the hair looking thin, this could just be due to your hat pushing the hair in different directions and making on area look slightly thinner.

If Wearing A Hat Doesn’t Make You Bald, Why Is My Hair Thinning?

As we have mentioned above hair loss can happen for a number of different reasons and it can be hard to say exactly what is causing your hair loss without having a specialist look at it. However, it is very unlikely that your hair loss is due to wearing a hat.

If you would like more information on hair loss and our hair loss treatments please feel free to contact us today for a no obligation consultation. During your consolation one of our hair loss specialists will be able to assess your hair loss and work with you on finding the best possible treatment.