Can Headphones Dent Your Head? (2024)

People who spend many hours with headphones on while listening to music have a particular perception when they take them off.

This perception is nothing more than the sensation of having a dent in the part of the head where the headband rests. Can headphones dent your head?

No, that is not a possibility, at least not due to the use of headphones. This indentation is temporary and only occurs in the hair and never in the person’s skull. The dents in the head are the product of a particular pre-existing medical condition that requires immediate medical attention.

However, many people may believe that the dent is due to the use of headphones. For this reason, we will explain in this article everything you need to know and clarify about the use of headphones and head dents.

Can Headphones Dent My Head?

Wearing headphones will not change the shape of your head, nor can it produce dents in the skull. You may indeed have a dent but caused by other reasons.

A dent in the head is the sign of an occult disease that should have urgent medical treatment.

However, it is easy to comprehend why people may have this belief about headphones. There are headphones whose adjustment system makes this equipment fit very tightly on the head, especially those with metal materials.

In these cases, the skin may have a slight sagging. But it is only temporary; after a short time, the anatomy should return to the exact shape before using headphones.

We must remember that the skull is a bone, and its texture is hard and continuous. No matter how tight the headphones are on the head, it is impossible to dent the skull.

But as already mentioned, what they can do is leave an impression on the skin, which gives a dented sensation.

A real example can illustrate a bit what happens with this supposed “denting” of the head. People who regularly wear glasses could think they have dents.

These “dents” also do not occur. Still, the skin on the nose may experience an impression that will disappear after you stop wearing the lenses.

One of the solutions to improve this denting sensation is the adjustment of the headband. It is possible to adjust the headband to make the headset much more comfortable and decrease the pressure on the head.

It may happen that this adjustment is not enough to lower the pressure. So the next option would be to evaluate buying another model of headband that has better adjustability and is more comfortable for the head.

The reality is that prolonged use of headphones will weigh down the hair, especially if the equipment is bulky and heavy.

While this type of equipment may not be the best option, it may not cause a dent in the skull.

The natural consequence that people might experience is a headache due to the pressure exerted by the headphones and from listening to music at high volume for many hours.

Suppose you do indeed notice a real dent in your head at the end of all these tests. You must visit your doctor immediately because this may be the tip of the iceberg of a more serious pathological condition.

What Are The Reasons For Having A Denture In The Head?

We will now review the main medical reasons why people may have a dent in the head.

Trauma

This type of dent occurs to many athletes or people who experience traffic accidents. It is common to find cases of people who have severe head injuries and do not know they have them or find out a long time later.

These injuries are fractures in the skull that the person must treat urgently. The danger of these fractures is that there is a sharp piece of bone pointing into the brain.

Another possible cause of this injury is a severe blow to the head.

Gorham’s Disease

This disease is also called Gorham’s disease or Phantom bone disease. This type of disease is a very atypical skeletal condition.

Doctors diagnose this disease when they detect that the dent results from a missing piece of bone in the skull. This disease causes the body to replace the bone with soft spongy tissue.

Cancer

Bone cancer is one of the diseases that can cause a dent in the skull. This cancer occurs when cells grow disproportionately, atypically, and uncontrolled, destroying the bone.

This type of cancer is quite rare, but that does not mean that there is not a real possibility that it will cause dents in the skull.

Congenital Cranial Clefting

This disease usually occurs in newborn babies and fetuses. All babies have very flexible; fibrous joints called sutures.

The sutures divide the bone plates of the brain to allow the brain to expand as the baby grows. Congenital cranial clefting occurs when the sutures close prematurely.

This causes severe problems in the growth of the skull and brain. For this reason, the head has an irregular and dented appearance. The birthing process is another reason for dents in the baby’s head.

Paget’s Disease Of The Bone

Paget’s disease of the bone causes the skull to look deformed or irregular. Disruption of the body’s normal recycling process, where new bone replaces old bone, causes Paget’s disease.

The main consequence of Paget’s disease is an overgrowth of the skull bone. This disease is much more common in people over 50 years old.

What Can I Do To Reduce The Discomfort Of Headphones On My Head?

When wearing headphones, the discomfort you feel is likely due to the equipment fitting too tightly on your head.

You may feel this pressure both on your head and in your ears. It is also possible to get a dent in your hair, right where the headband touches your hair.

We surely do not want to stop listening to our favorite music, nor do we want to change the headphones at the moment.

So, we must look for other alternatives that allow us to reduce the pressure on the head. For this reason, we will leave you with the following tips that we hope will be useful.

Change The Position Of The Headband From The Top To The Back Of The Headset

By changing the position of the headband, we will avoid the feeling of a head dent from headset in your head and hair.

The process to follow is straightforward; first, we must place the pads on the ears and then put the headband backward, at the nape of the neck.

This position is a safe way to adjust the headphones, and at the same time, it will be much more comfortable for you.

Wear A Cap On Your Head Before Putting On The Headphones

If you wear a cap before putting on the headphones, you will be cushioning the intense pressure on your head. The cap will also serve the function of extra padding.

By following this technique, you avoid splitting, as the force will be distributed evenly over the head. It would help if you tried to get a comfortable cap to achieve the success of this technique.

Measure The Tightening Force Of The Headphones

Another critical factor to keeping the equipment on your head is how tight the headphones are. The problem arises when the fit is too tight or too loose.

Excessive tightening of the straps will cause pressure on the head. In this case, you may have the sensation of denting, hair flattening, or even intense headaches.

When the tightening force is too weak, you will not get rid of the denting sensation either. The headband will have to rest even more on the top of the head so that the headphones can stay on without falling off.

Add More Ear Cushions To The Headphones

A very convenient alternative is to add a cushion around the headband; you will see how this can significantly improve the comfort of the equipment.

In addition, these cushions will do double duty. First, they will decrease the pressure on the head, and second, they will give a firmer grip on the headband.

A Final Thought On Dent Headphones

The conclusion we can make is that headphone dents can’t occur naturally. In the end, if you feel you have a headset dent, meaning you discover a dent in your head, you need to visit a doctor to rule out any serious problem immediately.