Call it paranoia, but I have often felt a dent in my head after using my headphones and listening to music for a bit longer than is probably healthy.
I know the rules, and I know the risks of hearing loss, but sometimes my headphones are just such a comfort that I can’t help but overindulge.
After I remove them though, often because of a slight headache from the pressure, I can definitely feel a clear dent, right where the headband rested. Can this actually be a dent caused by my headphones, or am I just noticing it for the first time?
This got me a bit nervous and wondering if there are health risks involved.
According to most, the likely answer is that there appears to be a dent in your head. This can be caused by the pressure of the headphones, leading to headphone hair. It is highly unlikely that your headphone band will be able to dent your head.
That makes sense, right? It could definitely be my hair, which is clearly pressed when my headphones come off, that might be causing the illusion that there’s a dent.
Let’s look into some facts and possibilities.
Can Headphones Dent Your Head?
Wearing headphones can’t change the shape of your head or skull. If you discover a clear dent, see a doctor, it could be a sign of an underlying condition. Headphones that are too tight, especially with metal rims, can cause a slight impression on your skin. This will go back to normal quickly.
Your skull is very hard. So, rest assured, no matter how tight your headphones are, they can’t actually dent your skull. They can, however, leave an impression on the skin, which can make it feel like the skull has been dented.
Have you ever seen how some people have these dents on the side of their heads when they take off their glasses?
Now, the same can happen with headphones that are too tight. However, it will take a really long time to happen, and you’d have to wear them on exactly the same place every time.
But, just like with glasses, if you get a new pair or wear contacts for a while, the skin will adjust, and the dents will disappear eventually.
Like with many other issues that you might experience with ill-fitting headphones, adjusting them can be the obvious solution.
If you can adjust the length of your headphone band, try pushing the top of the headphone band up and off your head so that it reduces the pressure on your head.
If this doesn’t work and it’s still too tight around the sides of your head, then consider replacing them and getting a more comfortable and adjustable pair.
Heavy headphones can also cause a natural indent in your hair, and some people have mentioned that their scalp feels a bit dead after a few hours of use.
This definitely isn’t good, but it won’t dent your skull. The prolonged pressure on your head might lead to a headache.
Trying out different headphones can help you find the one you’re most comfortable with. Before you replace yours just yet, swop out with your partner or your teenage kids to give theirs a bit of a test drive.
Just make sure you clean your headphones properly before putting them on or giving them back.
You Should See a Doctor If You Found an Indentation in Your Skull
A dent in your head could be serious. There are a number of reasons why you could possibly be experiencing this.
Also known as skull depression, it is best that you seek professional advice immediately because it could indicate an underlying medical condition.
On the other hand, you could have experienced an injury (that you aren’t aware of), or it can even be genetic.
The following conditions might be a possibility (again, speak to your doctor):
■ Congenital Skull Indentation
When you were born, you basically had a hole (sutures) on the top of your head until you were about two years old.
This stays open so that the bone is flexible enough for the brain to expand as it grows.
Sometimes these joints close too early, and the brain will continue to push against the skull, giving the head a dented look. This condition is called Craniosynostosis.
Babies can also be born with an indentation in their skull caused by either the birthing process or by the position they laid in the mother’s womb.
■ Gorham’s Disease
This condition is also known as Gorham vanishing bone disease and phantom bone disease.
Although Gorham’s disease is a very rare skeletal condition, it is often diagnosed when doctors find a visible dent, caused by the bone loss, in your skull.
This condition occurs because your bone mass is replaced by other forms of spongy tissue.
■ Paget’s Disease of Bone
This disease can very easily make your skull appear irregular or dented. This condition appears when your body’s normal recycling process, where olds bone tissue is gradually replaced with new bone tissue, is disrupted. This leads to an overgrowth of bone in your skull as the bone mass builds up.
■ Cancer
There have been very few cases where doctors have discovered cancer from seemingly innocent skull depressions.
In these cases, skull depressions and skull irregularities were caused by bone-destructive cancer, such as multiple myeloma.
■ Trauma
Many athletes have been hurt on the sports field, even sustained serious head injuries, but only become aware of it later on.
An injury like this to your skull is called a depressed fracture, and emergency medical treatment is needed.
The dent actually indicates that a piece of your skull has fractured and is pointing inwards towards your brain. This is also a common injury sustained in car accidents or with a severe blow to the head.
Wearing Headphones Will Flatten Your Hair
Everyone I know has complained about headphone hair at least once. Wearing headphones will easily mess up your hair, especially if you have oily hair.
It is very possible that you might think your headphones are denting your head when they are actually just causing a dent in your hair.
Here are a few tips you can follow:
- Wear your headphone band at the back of your head instead of on the top. This way, there won’t be any pressure on your hair.
- Wear a cap over your hair and put the headphones over the cap. (That is, if you don’t mind having hat hair).
- Adjust your headband so that it pushes up further away from your hair, therefore not causing a dent.
- If you have long hair, you can tie it up in a ponytail.
- If you are already sitting with headphone hair and you want to get rid of the dent when you’ve taken off the headphones, wetting it will bring back your normal shape.
- You can also just apply hair styling products each time after using your headphones and style it back to the way you like it.
A Final Thought
There is no way that headphones can dent your skull. If you do discover an actual dent in your head, you need to have a doctor examine it to make sure that it’s nothing serious.
Before you do this, make sure it isn’t just a dent in your hair caused by a tight headphone band.