- Can headphones permanently dent your head?
- Are the Twitch rumors to be believed?
- Curious whether wearing headphones will cause hair loss?
- We answer all your heady questions.
If you’ve ever felt a slight headache after taking off your headphonesor worried that prolonged usage will leave a dent or mark on your skull, this article will clarify things for you.
You may have even heard of Twitch streamers suffering from a dent in their head after long periods of wearing headphones, but we’re here to clear up the confusion on whether or not a head dent is something to worry about.
Let’s dive in.
Who Is Complaining About A Headphone Dent In Their Heads?
We can all remember one of those rumors that spread around school that was untrue but had everyone believing in it.
Ours was a ghost in the school bathroom.
Much like a ghost in the bathroom, a headphone dent is something people are starting to think is a genuine worry. But where did this come from?
One of the first to report a dent in their head is curtoss, a Twitch streamer who noticed when shaving his hair on a live stream. We shouldn’t always believe what we see on the internet, but the worries were reinforced when PopTingz posted a Tweet reporting that many streamers were having the same issue.
You probably think this is just a coincidence.
However, other reports started coming, such as League of Legends streamer Tyler1 and Mizkif suffering from the same intriguing cranial recess.
There’s no doubt that these images genuinely show a dent after their headphones are removed, but is this a permanent or temporary dent?
Can Headphones Dent Your Head?
No, you’ll be relieved to know your skull does not dent from headphone use. The indentation you receive from wearing headphones for prolonged periods is only temporary and occurs in the hair and outer skin where the headphones were resting, not the person’s skull. If you’ve ever fallen asleep on your arm and woken up with a pattern indented into your skin from your clothes, this is the same thing.
There are conditions that headphones have nothing to do with headphones where people have irregularities in their skull bone formation and “dents” in their skull. While some people experience dents in their heads, dents are caused by a disease that requires urgent medical treatment rather than the headphones themselves.
In these cases where there is no underlying disease, the skin will have a slight sag that is only temporary and will return to normal after some time without the headphones.
So no, headphones cannot change the shape of your head or skull; you do not need to worry. Unless you are doing something bizarre or extreme, there’s no way for it to happen.
How Much Weight Would It Take To Dent My Head?
If you’re genuinely worried your headphones might cause permanent damage to the shape of your skull, then do not fear, as you’d need a weight of around 1,100 lbs of pressure to do any damage. So unless you have some crazy heavy headphones or are putting them on with extreme force, you will not get anywhere near this amount.
Is Your Head Actually Dented From Headphones?
It is doubtful that the dent in your head is a permanent problem caused by headphones, but more likely the skin/hair that has been imprinted temporarily (phew).
People regularly wear glasses, and some users have the same anxiety that their nose bones are permanently dented from prolonged usage of glasses. Still, the glasses merely make a temporary indent in the skin.
But, if you think this is a rare exception, here are some common diseases that can cause an irregularity in the skull’s bone structure.
Congenital Skull Indentation
Congenital skull indentation occurs typically in fetuses and young infants. Not in studios or in your bedroom when you’re producing music on headphones.
If this does happen, you can consider it an extraordinary coincidence.
You can read more about congenital skull indentation from an official source here.
Paget’s Disease
Paget’s disease of the bone occurs when the body generates bones too fast, which causes the skull to become irregularly shaped.
It is caused when the body’s normal bone recycling process goes awry and leads to an overgrowth of bone in the skull. The disease is far more common in people older than 50.
Gorham’s Disease
Gorham’s disease is a very rare condition that has no known causes.
Also called phantom bone disease, it is a condition where abnormal channels of bone tendon are created in the skull, which is caused by bone loss.
Symptoms may involve more than one bone system but most commonly occur within the skull, collarbone, pelvis, ribs, spine, or jaw. Two bone systems may be affected at once with this disease.
Bone Cancer
Certain forms of bone cancer, while extremely rare, may cause the bone on your skull to become irregularly formed.
Why Do Twitch Streamers Suffer From Headphone Dents?
The main reason is simply the amount of time they spend wearing headphones. If you do anything for a prolonged period, there are bound to be effects.
For example, if you wear a watch for hours on end — it will leave a dent/imprint on your wrist. However, most wouldn’t be running to the E.R. claiming that their wrist has been dented. The same goes for headphones.
Some reports suggest growing a Twitch channel would require at least five hours per stream, meaning anybody with a large following or looking to grow their channel could be spending a significant amount of time with headphones on, so it’s no surprise to see a remnant when removing them.
Add to this the comments made by followers, whether on their Twitch channel or other forums like Reddit, and you’ve got enough to spark concern with anyone who regularly uses headphones. Luckily, a headphone dent is short-term and can be remedied quickly.
How To Prevent Headphone “Denting”
Wear A Headband
One of the solutions to improve the feeling of denting in your skin and hair is simply adjusting the headband on the headphones.
Many headphones offer the ability to loosen or tighten, expand, or constrict a pair of headphones to make the fit more comfortable for users.
For example, the RØDE NTH-100 headphones include a locking mechanism, so once you find a comfortable position, you can keep it in place.
Wear A Beanie
Wearing a beanie will provide a cushion between your head and the headphones and relieve most of the pressure imprinting on your head from the headphones.
Keep in mind that this will muffle the sound somewhat, and this is especially noticeable in the higher frequencies. So if you’re doing serious mixing work, avoid wearing a beanie.
Add More Padding
Another solution you can try is to add more padding to the headphones. This can be at the top of the headphones where the band is or around the ear.
Some common ways to do this are buying a soft foam material, cutting out a piece, and then carefully attaching it to your headphones.
Wear Your Headphones On The Back Of Your Head
Instead of wearing the headphones normally on the top of your head, you can recline them a bit and have the top part of the headphones cover the back of your head instead of the top.
This can relieve some of the pressure on the top of your head, and if it is not as comfortable long-term, you can switch back and forth between the two placements.
Remove Your Headphones From Time To Time
Removing your headphones from time to time is one of the best tricks to avoiding dents in your skin in the first place.
Just a few minutes every hour will go a long way in relieving the pressure caused on your head by prolonged headphone usage.
Buying Another Pair of Headphones
It could just be that you have the wrong pair of headphones.
Some headphones are designed poorly and apply too much pressure on the skull, making things uncomfortable.
So, the last option would be to either get a new pair of headphones that fit more snugly or buy a pair of in-ear headphones to resolve the problem.
How To Get Rid Of Headphone Indentation In Your Skull?
Showering
One method of getting rid of the headphone impression on your head is to take a shower. This will sometimes remove the dents, but not always, depending on how much pressure was applied for how long to your head.
It is better if the shower is hot rather than cool.
Gently Rubbing Your Head
Another way to get rid of the headphone impression on your head is by gently massaging the parts of your head that have been affected.
This method is less effective than taking a hot shower, so if you want to remove the headphone dent as quickly as possible, try doing both of these methods.
Time
This is the surest method but not the quickest. As the saying goes, time heals all wounds, and we think that is true for very mild impressions in the head caused by headphones.
FAQs
How Long Does It Take For A Headset Dent To Go Away?
In most situations, it will take less than a half-hour to go away, but in some situations, it could take a few hours.
It depends on how long and how much pressure was exerted on your head.
Can Headphones Change The Shape Of Your Ears?
Headphones cannot change the shape of your ear.
Like glasses or headphones on the top of your head, tight ones sometimes leave temporary marks and indentations on the skin rather than the bone. After a few hours, the shape of your ears will revert to normal.
Once you become an adult, the shape of your ears is permanent. If you think headphones can change this, you’re not giving your body enough credit.
Can Wearing Headphones Cause Hair Loss?
No, hair loss is not caused by wearing headphones. Hair loss is a condition that has many different causes, with genetics being the most important factor.
Other factors include:
- Diet
- Exercise
- Nutrient deficiency
- Environmental factors
- Stress and/or hormonal imbalance.
Many people have worn headphones every day for work for over 30 years with no impact on hair loss.
However, it should be said that wearing your headphones in a silly manner that pulls and tugs on your hair excessively will likely cause a form of hair loss called traction alopecia.
However, this can easily be avoided by not positioning the headphones in a way that significantly pulls your hair away from your skull.
Wrapping Up
Wearing a pair of headphones for a prolonged period may cause a temporary indentation in the skin of your skull but will not do anything to the bone structure of your skull.
Any changes to the shape of your skull by using headphones point to an underlying medical condition that you should urgently investigate.
To avoid the temporary indentations on the skin and hair that come with prolonged use, consider wearing a beanie, adding padding to the headphones, removing your headphones occasionally, wearing headphones on the back of your head, or buying a new pair of headphones.
