Since the incident, Curtis has been nicknamed ‘Brain Valley’ by fellow Twitch streamers (Picture: Twitch/@curtoss)
A Twitch streamer has shocked the internet by showing the apparent consequences of wearing headsets for too long.
During a charity stream this month, streamer Curtis who goes by Curtoss, shaved his head on livestream only to find a headset-shaped indent at the top of his skull.
The streamer, who was shaving his hair for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, was surprised to find his head indented from wearing his gaming headset.
‘Dude, I have an indent like right here,’ said Curtoss when he first caught sight of the new shape of his head.
‘This is where my headphones go! I have a f****** headphone indent on my head! What the f***? I always thought that was just my hair!’
Curtis’ video first went viral after his friend posted the clip on Reddit to bring awareness to his fundraiser. One of the clips from his live stream garnered over 42 million views on Twitter.
Surprisingly, Curtis found that he wasn’t the only one with a headset-shaped indent on his head as other streamers shared similar experiences.
‘Welcome to the club,’ replied one Twitter user, sharing photos of gamers with indents on their skulls.
‘We all got one of those at one point or another,’ added another gamer.
‘New fear just unlocked’, wrote one user.
‘This is why I will never wear a headset for prolonged time periods,’ added another.
Since the incident, Curtis has been nicknamed ‘Brain Valley’ by fellow Twitch streamers.
Can wearing a headset for too long really cause an indent in your head? Not really.
The human skull is a very strong bone and it would take a lot of pressure to indent it. In fact, it would take about 135 kilograms of force to cause a minor fracture in the skull. Most headsets do not apply anywhere close to this much pressure.
However, streamers who wear headsets for too long can be at risk of getting ‘headphone hair’.
It is a term used to describe the flattened or bent hair that can occur when wearing headphones for an extended period of time. However, it’s no more harmful than giving you a bad hair day.
Streamers are at greater risk of hearing loss from prolonged headset use. Listening to music or other sounds at high volumes can damage the cells in your inner ear.
These cells are responsible for converting sound waves into electrical signals sent to your brain. If too many hair cells are damaged, it can lead to hearing loss.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 50 per cent of people ages 12 to 35 are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud sounds, such as music heard through personal audio devices.
As for the gamers who shared pictures of their indented heads, this could be due to the pressure of the headset compressing the skin and bone. The indent is usually temporary and will go away on its own after the headset is removed.
If that doesn’t work, massaging the area, taking warm shower or applying a hot compress could also help the skin and bone return to their original shape.
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No, but it can affect your hearing.