In Mental Floss’ video, “Do Hats Cause Balding?” host Craig answers the question, “Is it true that if you wear a hat often enough it will cause you to bald?”
The short answer is “no.” Men usually go bald because of hormones. The typical silent killer of a full head of hair is called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, and its production is dictated by your genes.
The theory that hats can cause baldness may be based on a phenomenon called traction alopecia.
“This is when a hairline recedes due to consistent traction. It occurs in some people who wear tight ponytails, barrettes, or helmets. These things are known to damage hair follicles causing scarring, and then hair can’t grow there anymore,” the host explains in the video.
Basically, a hat would have to be very tight to cause traction alopecia.
Read: Female Baldness: Why Do Some Women Lose Their Hair?
So, besides genetics, what else can cause baldness? According to Craig, both men and women can lose their hair as a result of poor nutrition, drugs, infection, pregnancy, and trauma.
Want to know more about what causes baldness? Watch Mental Floss’ video above.
See Also:
8 Great Reasons That Vegetarian Diets Benefit Your Health (And The Planet)
Vegetarian Diet Benefits: What Happens When You Quit Eating Meat?
[“source-ndtv”]
