Ever since wearing a hat came into fashion, people have wondered whether or not it was healthy for their hair, and indeed whether or not it actually made you lose your hair. People who undergo hair loss treatment programs often blame their hats for their hair loss. In fact, hats can cause hair loss but not in the way that you would expect. People will have to look very closely at their hat wearing habits, and then they might see that there might be a connection. Let’s take a look at the facts.

A Clean Hat, a Healthy Scalp

Anyone that’s investigated any sort of hair loss treatment has seen pictures of people wearing hats, but in reality, they’re hiding the baldness that already exists. The hat didn’t actually make them bald unless certain conditions already existed. The main thing about people who wear hats is actually the cleanliness of the hat… and the head that’s wearing it. Many people have that “lucky hat” that they wear day after day, and they even think that washing it would somehow ruin their luck. This is actually what makes their head unhealthy and could potentially contribute to hair loss in the future.29

Dermatologist Gary Hitzig, who also happens to be the author of “Help and Hope for Hair Loss”, attended many studies and pursued further knowledge about these myths and facts and concluded that dirty hats and infections were the cause of hair loss much more than any hat or helmet the person might have worn. He concluded that 2 out of 3 men would experience hair loss or thinning by the age of 60, but hats had very little to do with it.

Be Gentle with Your Hair, Gents

Another key factor is that a lot of the men who take their hat off and on many times throughout the day might be contributing to their hair loss simply due to the fact that many hats can have rough edges, and this in turn catches their hair and pulls it out. This can result in the thinning of their hair, but rarely does it actually make them go bald since hair grows back very rapidly. Once again, the hat had very little to do with the hair falling out. It was the habits of the wearer.

As a side note: Another myth that Hitzig investigated was whether or not stress or past trauma could potentially cause hair loss, and he found it to be true. But he also concluded that the stress and hats would only cause the hair to shed, and if the people who lost the hair were genetically predisposed to be bald, it would stay that way. If the person’s genetics were in favour of the people who were to have full heads of hair, it would grow back.

Hats Not the Culprit

In conclusion, there are many factors that will make men run for hair loss treatment centres across the world, but hats will not cause any baldness that wasn’t already genetically going to happen. Keeping your hats clean and rotating them frequently will give the wearer the best shot at not being affected with infections or hair loss. Myths about baldness and hats will always surface but facts will eventually prevail. With baldness being something that the public is spending millions of dollars on yearly, science is sure to come up with more answers as the years go by.

Book in a Free Consultation to discuss what hair loss treatments are suitable for you.

Hair loss in women is not uncommon, but you wouldn’t know it if you went by how much people talk about it because, unlike male hair loss, it’s somewhat swept under the rug.

And unfortunately this very well may be the reason why there are so many myths about women’s hair loss floating around! The fact is – hair loss in women is far more common than many realise.

Does the birth control pill really cause hair to fall out? What about high testosterone levels? What are the treatments? Let’s take a look at the more prevalent myths about hair loss and finally put an end to it all.

Lock of Lie: Only men suffer from hair loss

Truthful Tress: Although balding is often thought of as only a male problem, over 40% of women will suffer from hair loss at some point in their lifetime.

Lock of Lie: The birth control pill causes hair loss

Truthful Tress: In the past decade the birth control pill has come a long way. Advancements have been made to minimise its side effects, one of which used to be that it would interact with hair follicles – progesterone hormones in the pill would act like androgen (male) hormones, which can cause hair loss. Modern birth control pills, however, are more anti-androgen.

Lock of Lie: High testosterone causes hair loss

Truthful Tress: Excess testosterone in your body does not cause hair loss, but it can play an indirect role as testosterone can convert to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which plays a big role in hair loss.

Lock of Lie: Too much UV can

Truthful Tress: While it’s widely known that UV damages and ages the skin, there is no proven direct link between UV rays and hair loss. Vitamin D is actually good for slowing down hair loss as it helps drive the hair from the resting to the growing phase.

Lock of Lie: All hair loss is permanent

Truthful Tress: Hair loss can be temporary. For example, hormonal changes can cause hair to fall out, but in most of these cases it re-grows after the hormones adjust back to normal. Even when it seems permanent, hair loss can be slowed and reversed thanks to treatment. There are a variety of treatments for different types and stages of hair loss. Treatments range from topical lotions, to oral medication and laser caps.

Book in a Free Consultation to discuss what hair loss treatments are suitable for you.