Can wearing headphones cause hair loss? The answer is Yes and No. Headphones, as we all know, offer a great deal of privacy and enjoyment even on a boring public bus or a buzzing street.
They are awesome gadgets to seclude oneself from the hustling business of streets and work. That being said, the misuse brings about rare detriments along with it.
When overworked, any machine starts to play up bad with the creator or user, or both. Headphones are godsend appliances for ones who recognize their perfect usage. When mistreated, they might pluck hair off the scalp or worse.
Headphones create multiple risk conditions for our mental and physical health, only if abused for a long time. The regular usage won’t cost much in general.
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Though wearing a specific kind of headphones with a precise fit might cause multiple issues, including hair loss, stress disorders, loss of appetite and more, yet the optimum usage won’t hurt a dime. Trust me.
The types of headphones and the duration of usage still create medical conditions, including Traction Alopecia that causes mild to excess hair loss starting with forehead to the neck. If practiced routinely, the simple habits might reduce or eliminate the chances of hair loss even after excessive headphone usage.
Anyhow, before going towards the answer of this question, can headphones cause hair loss? Let’s see first what is hair loss.
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What is Hair Loss?
Hair Loss, or medically known as Alopecia is a condition that usually occurs when the digestive system together with multiple secondary symptoms destroy the hair follicles and cause baldness.
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The hair loss is generally rampant in the middle age and old age; however, it could start at early teens or mid 20s as well.
The major symptoms of mild to severe hair loss include a patchy scalp starting from the forehead region to the backside of head, sudden hair loss in a few weeks, circular hairless regions on head, and thinning of hair.
What are the Causes of Hair Loss
Several genetic factors contribute to hair loss together with unhygienic food consumption, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, abnormal usage of headphones, and specific head styles where hairs are pulled too strong for an extensive time period.
Generally, hair fall can be induced and exacerbated by several medical, habitual, and genetic conditions. For some, it is in the genetic code. You can’t do anything about it.
For others, hair loss is caused by bad sleeping habits, diet, and whatnot. Technology advancement adds a great chunk in causing hair loss, according to scientists and researchers.
Stress is another factor that contributes greatly to hair loss problems prevalent in gamers and teens.
Also, there are several medical conditions that contribute to hair loss. That includes lupus and diabetes, certain medications, pregnancy, and menopause among many.
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As for headphones, the condition ordinarily breaks out when the tight bands rub together with the scalp for a long time, sometimes for months or years.
Apart from hair loss, the mild conditions include redness on the scalp region where headphones touch the head.
Another symptom is constant itching when hairs rub together with the headphone plastic or metal for a long time. Both the conditions together causes inflammation in hair glands, that in turn, causes a stockpile of bacteria and pigmentation on scalp.
Sometimes, the pigmentation becomes a puss-filled sore and prompts skin infections apart from hair loss.
Losing hair because of headphones is the worst one can imagine. Making a habit of taking breaks from the noisy surround sound would help a great deal in evading the shame.
Can Wearing Headphones Cause Hair Loss?
The excessive practice of tucking headphones around all day might lead to stress and anxiety, hair loss, headaches, sweaty accretions around your head and ears, as well as sleeplessness and several other harmful conditions.
The best way to avoid all the discrepancies is to habitually toss over the headphones at regular intervals when using headphones for long durations.
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Also, drying away the sweat and frictions caused by headphones, and making yourself at peace for a few minutes before moving on to the next listening session will make it easier both for skull and thoughts to return back to normal levels.
Intermittent headphones usage with regular breaks will make it easier for the gadget and brain to process information in and out of them flawlessly without causing hair loss or other anomalies.
The traction alopecia is brought about by excessive and consistent friction on the scalp with its effects ranging from minor plucks to complete hair loss. Avoid consistent friction and it won’t cost you hair.
How to Avoid Losing Hair from Headphones
To avoid losing hair from headphones, make sure you are using them the right way. In addition, always go for little pricey but reliable headphones that will adjust with your scalp when worn consistently.
Researching before buying is the best method to save your money and head at the same time. A few tips might help reducing the likelihoods of hair loss because of headphones:
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Wear Flexible Headphones: Always!
Only wear the headphone type that has flexible straps. That is, if you are a gamer or marathon listener, never go for cheaper headphones. The adjustable bands create less friction, and in turn, considerably reduce chances of stress and hair loss.
Moreover, the adjustable headphones are spacious enough to be wrapped around the neck or with enough room over the head to avoid direct contact with the scalp.
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Flexible headphones with adjustable bands are preferable for gamers, professional editors, as well as for extensive audience.
They do not itch when worn continuously for hours at the end. However, flexible headphones aren’t the best pick for studio recordings, gym and jogging sessions. The loose fit might disturb the ear cup positioning when you continuously fidget around with them.
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Find the Perfect Fit
Flexible headphones often get slack with time. It is because of the low-quality suspension employed by the headphone manufacturers to cut on consumer cost.
It is advised to thoroughly check user reviews about the headphone quality before buying them. Plus, do not wear headphones, flexible or not, for hours and hours every day. Long-drawn-out listening is not advisable, with or without flexible headphones.
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Clean Headphones Habitually
Headphones, like most of the gadgets we use are breading spots for bacteria and infections. The dirt and dust particles, together with sweat and plastic friction amplify bacterial growth and escalate the odds of traction alopecia.
Cleaning headphones regularly all the way from ear cups to bands will considerably reduce multiple infectious bugs from accumulating and then multiplying on your head and ears.
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To clean headphones properly, take a cloth, microfiber, or tissue paper and soak it with soapy solution or alcohol-mixed disinfectant and thoroughly wipe through the headphones for several times.
Make sure to cleanse up the trapped wax particles on the internal ear cups alongside outer bands to ensure optimal hygienic listening experience.
How to Treat Hair Loss Caused by Headphones
If you have all or some of the symptoms we’ve explained in the previous section, the best thing to do is get an appointment with a dermatologist. If that isn’t likely, follow these modest home remedies to reduce worst scenarios.
Shampoos contain skin smoothening elements that kill off budding bacteria that cause bruising and pigmentation on the scalp.
Also, antifungal shampoos are helpful in mitigating irritations and painful frictions that result in hair fall. Plus, always ask for medicated shampoos if you are experiencing hair loss or itching after wearing headphones.
For mild symptoms, topical lotions are a great deal helpful against infections. There are several topical creams recommended by dermatologists to contain hair loss caused by external factors, including headphones.
These antibacterial creams fill out the scalp’s pores and pigmentations, and relieve the nerves of excessive stress caused by rubs and irritations.
Also, there are multiple accredited supplements available to halt and regrow skin pigmentations, hair loss, and related conditions. The supplements, OTC lotions, and shampoos take a little while to regrow the scalp to its normal form.
Do not break the habit of sequential growth or it will never go away. Patience is the key here; stick to it constantly as it entails the patience of Job alongside decisive resolve to get your lost hair back.
Substitutes
If it’s a high time to switch from bulky and pricey headphones, the tiny ear buds or earphones are the best alternatives. They are inexpensive, virtually weightless, easy to clean, and at once eliminate the hair loss and pigmentation altogether.
Ear buds are more casual and easy to carry around when commuting in a public transport or a busy neighborhood. When cleaning, all you need is brushing away the dust and wax with a soft microfiber and you’re good to go.
Conclusion
Hair loss is an indicator of fragile eating habits, certain medical complications, as well as a warning sign for headphones devotees to cut out on their gaming hours.
If you cannot afford to limit your headphone usage, try switching to more advanced headphones designs that do not create friction on your scalp or you could buy headphones that do not have a headband. Users can always find novel alternatives to the bulky headphones from Amazon.
Faizan Ali is a Master in Computer Sciences and has been writing content for computing, gaming and mobile technologies since 2016. He has written content for number of online magazines, websites and blogs and now writes for “the buyers trend”. Feel free to contact him for any sort of writing for your technology related blog, website or magazine.