Hats and Baldness...settle a dispute for me.

[FedoraGent]

FLers,

Recently I was down in Monterey on my way to the theatre with a pal of mine. We started to talk about the subject of my Borsalino and his belief that it as well as the rest of my hats will take me down the path of baldness. Finding this totally proprosterous (sp.) I decided to claim the First Right of Shennanigans. And so I did and he and I now are in disagreement. He truly believes that if I wear hats long enough (no I don't wear baseball caps unless under duress) that I will become as bald as Buddah. I think and have heard that baldness is attributed to hereditary traits. He believes that if you don't let your head have constant oxygen, you will definitely go bald. He also believes that if you're hot and you're wearing a hat that makes you perspire this will contribute to you going bald as well. Now I wasn't 'mad' in the traditional sense of the word but I was tempted that night to shave his head while he was asleep. Now...I didn't but I'd still like to see what other people think. Not about whether I should shave his head, but about the baldness issue.

Whaddaya think?

Jon

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

A quick Google search yielded this,...

Among other sites that say basically the same thing. But the other sites also mention that one should allow the scalp to breathe by not wearing any head gear 24/7. Which is just common sense.


http://www.askmen.com/sports/health_60/92_mens_health.html

 

[indyjim]

I didn't wear any hat at all when I was in my teens and twenties and my hair
was falling out like crazy. I'm not completely, bald but I do have the traditional male pattern
baldness which has been slowly thinning over the years. I wear a hat now, partially to protect that area from the sun. But I lost more hair when I didn't
wear a hat. I don't see a relationship.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I think it's the other way around. Baldness comes first, then the hat, lol

After all, even a top flight custom hat is cheaper than a toupee, and far more stylish!

 

[perterra]

Tony nailed it.lol

 

[WEEGEE]

And it will not

Make you go blind.

 

[Pilgrim]

For every crackpot, there's a theory, and vice versa.

For heaven's sake, wear the hat and don't worry about it. Genetics are not affected by wearing a hat.

 

[Feraud]

A common perception is more men suffer from baldness today than in the past.
If the percent of men who wear hats is less today than in the past, how can a hat contribute to baldness?

I think it's the other way around. Baldness comes first, then the hat, lol

lol lol Yes!!

 

[MJCR]

I read a very convincing article that said it's pretty much genetic, you inherit your hair type from you mother's side of the family. So, if you maternal grandfather is bald you're out of luck. Or, to put it another way, you're genetically pre-disposed to wearing hats!

It could all be hogswash, but my father and his brother were bald by their early twenties - my hair is fine at 33 and looks more or less like my mother's father.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I read a very convincing article that said it's pretty much genetic, you inherit your hair type from you mother's side of the family. So, if you maternal grandfather is bald you're out of luck..

The genetics of male pattern baldness is a lot more complicated than that. The old mother's side of the family is just a simplified, "junior high genetics" version.

 

[Lieutenant]

No

FedoraGent, the answer to your question is no but even if it did so what. It would be well worth it to wear a good vintage hat. Its the clothes that make the man its not his hair.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

I think it's the other way around. Baldness comes first, then the hat, lol

After all, even a top flight custom hat is cheaper than a toupee, and far more stylish!

Or you can do like Bogie and wear both.

 

[jml90]

I don't know the answer but I think the positives out weigh the negatives.
Keeps your head warm, dry, and the sun out of your face not to mention looking good while you do it

 

[scotrace]

eek

...if I wear hats long enough... I will become as bald as Buddah.

My God I hope not!

 

[Mulceber]

well I suppose it depends. My theory on baldness is that cholesterol clogs up your arteries, thus preventing as much blood from getting to the hair folicles (the cells that grow your hair) which then die from lack of oxygen. So if your hat was on to tight, I think it could cut off circulation, and eventually lead to baldness, but otherwise, NAH! BTW, if my position was ambiguous, I just wanted to say that I voted no. -Mulceber

 

[Lieutenant]

I don't know the answer but I think the positives out weigh the negatives.
Keeps your head warm, dry, and the sun out of your face not to mention looking good while you do it

Yea thats right, and I don't think skin cancer would be any fun!

 

[thefedorastore]

I think the baldness is part of our evolution. I think all man will be bald one fine day, and then they will all need a nice hat. Too bad I won't be around to see it. If you have lost your hair, you have come full circle.

 

[Mulceber]

except if that's the case then you have to ask, what's the evolutionary advantage of baldness? -Mulceber

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

except if that's the case then you have to ask, what's the evolutionary advantage of baldness? -Mulceber

Aerodynamics?

 

[magneto]

The only way a hat could contribute to baldness is if you wore it so tightly it rubbed / pulled your hair off!

(Women who wear those very tight ponytails and hairbands do experience hair loss 'round the temples from the above syndrome...but obviously the standard hat is not pulling out your hair. In fact, it's probably keeping it in place!