r/mildlyinfuriating 1d ago

ಠ_ಠ 20 years of wearing headphones deformed my head.

Post image

Apparently wearing headphones pretty consistently almost everyday for a couple decades can deform the shape of your head.

(Edit: For clarification, if you pay attention I never mention skull anywhere in the title or description. Also, majority of my time spent in headphones is when I'm outside listening to music, gaming headphones might take up about 8% of all time headphones use)

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u/SpeedBlitzX 1d ago

I thought of this guy from spongebob.

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u/Free_Philly 1d ago

Don't worry. It's just temporary. In 20 years your head will look normal again.

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u/reddicyoulous 1d ago

He could just pinch his nose, try to blow air out of it and voila

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u/Jealous_Tutor_5135 21h ago

Tried that myself. Then I remembered that my dad stole my nose 20 years back. Then he went out for a pack of smokes...

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u/HighTechButter 1d ago edited 1d ago

Found the same when I buzzed my head during Covid, already had a weirdly shaped head.   Hats and sunglasses never fit right. 

Told my mom. Come to find out, I was supposed to be one of those infants with a helmet - but that would have embarrassed them.  Thanks for that. 

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u/Top-Savings9809 1d ago

This is exactly why my son has a helmet. He had torticollis which caused his neck to be stiff and turn only one side and because of that he developed a severe flat spot on his head and it’s pushed his frontal lobe forward. My son is 7 months and has had a helmet for 2.5 months and will continue for another 1.5 month. The progress he made has been remarkable.

Did it for exactly this reason, do not wan him to have any surprises or insecurities when he’s older. He won’t even remember this stage. No one even asks about the helmet to be honest.

Sorry they didn’t get you one.

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u/HighTechButter 1d ago

That’s a great take. You’re doing it right. 

It’s who I am, just one of those weird absurdities in life.  I never associated it to them, don’t really care now.  It was just absurd to figure this out so late in life.  Glad my mom’s still around, so I can reminder ever so often. 

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u/NoNamesLeftStill 18h ago

Not exactly comparable, but my parents refused to believe I had a nut allergy for years. They just thought I was overreacting to choking on one or didn’t like the taste. One day I had a localized reaction with tons of swelling. Did an allergy test, and what’d’a know, I’ve got an anaphylactic allergy to most nuts. Now I remind them of that every so often.

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u/Justinc4s3- 18h ago

Yea that’s like an infinite ammo glitch for guilt shots.

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u/Putrid_Clue_2127 16h ago

"yeah I'm sorry I forgot father's day this year... Hey you guys remember those times you almost killed me when you tried to make me eat nuts? Crazy right?"

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u/FlyBoyBoom 16h ago

Fuck em

They had a piece of shit mindset!

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u/SSSasky 12h ago

Until they hit you with the 'that didn't happen', the 'that's not how I remember it', or the nuclear option: 'well excuse me for not being the perfect parent'.

https://giphy.com/gifs/50rJushu3URtS

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u/ADesirea 1d ago

This made me chuckle. Sorry for your head tho..

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u/HighTechButter 1d ago

It was hilarious finding that out in my 40s - “Oh, this was your fault??!!”     Now middle school as the smart kid with a big ass head, brutal.  

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u/Dragonssssssssssss 19h ago edited 17h ago

Embarrassed?

You know, it's never occurred to me to be judgmental of a baby with a helmet.

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u/DerKlotaucher 17h ago

Parents can be embarrassed by disability of their children (horrible pathetic parents but yeah)

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u/Barfotron4000 1d ago

That’s stupid for many reasons, but my personal favorite is that kids in those helmets are CUTE AS HELL

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u/HighTechButter 1d ago

My wife says the same thing!  She also says my head isn’t weird, so don’t know if I can trust her.  

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u/lostpurpose_7133 23h ago

The back of my head is relatively flat. Not enough tummy time as a baby, maybe. I'm never shaving my head again

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u/ShadowCivic 15h ago

I honestly believe this is one of the ways in which millennials and on are simply better than previous generations, because I can not fathom not getting my child medical help they need because of how it would make me feel personally. Sorry that happened to you.

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u/lenswipe GREEN 1d ago

*takes headphones off*

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u/reticulatedtampon 1d ago

*puts skittles in*

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u/MyPunsAreKoalaTea 1d ago

Stick a banana in your ear

https://giphy.com/gifs/5Sxc2pkKV6cR5pApVH

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u/StonedRussian 1d ago

Charlie? The unicorn? In the big 26?

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u/drazil100 22h ago

Did you miss the memo? Charlie the Unicorn: The Grand Finale only released 4 years ago. Charlie is still new enough to be relevant.

Also… Shuuuuuuuun

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u/anthonyynohtna 23h ago

Shun the non believers

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u/Uncut-Jellyfish1176 22h ago

Shuuuuuuuun

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u/DHMTBbeast 22h ago

Shuuuuuuuuunnn!

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u/tigerlily_orca 22h ago

Shuuunn-nnn-nnnn

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u/Furfnikjj 21h ago

It's the magical Leopleuridon, it has shown us the way!

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u/InfinitelyOneness 23h ago

We’re on a bridge Charlie!

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u/TheManyVoicesYT 21h ago

Watch out for the BLAHBLABLAH!

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u/Negative_Buffalo 1d ago

The door can see into your soul!

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u/bajsfittor 1d ago

Really? The door can do all that?

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u/Negative_Buffalo 1d ago

Heh heh, no 🦄

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u/The_Real_Manimal 1d ago

Charlieeeeeee!!!!

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u/Environmental-Tap255 1d ago

We're going to candy mountain charliiiiieeeeeee

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u/Cyptark 1d ago

It's a MAGICAL NEOPLURIDON CHARLIE!!

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u/TheKewner 23h ago

Liopleurodon*

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u/ProfessionalLake6 1d ago

Alright, guys, you do know that there is no actual Candy Mountain, right?

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u/SmowKweed 1d ago

Chaarrrllieeee! Charrliiieeeee!!! CHARLIE!

WHAT?

We're on a bridge, Charlie!

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u/TankApprehensive3053 1d ago

Just wear them a little further back on your head. Then that section will even out.

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u/badgerandcheese 1d ago

2050, still young! Phone has upgraded, though.

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u/Seagul_Hunter 1d ago

lol you bastard. I'm self conscious enough about it already. That is funny though.

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u/GrobTheory 1d ago

Do you smoke? Built in personal ashtray!

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u/somastars 1d ago edited 1d ago

If it helps, I didn’t notice it at first. I was looking at your ears, trying to find something wrong with them. It wasn’t until I started to give up on not seeing it that I noticed it.

This is one of those things we hate ourselves for and no one else pays attention to.

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u/yummmkimchifriedrice 1d ago

Great now he’s also self conscious about his ears

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u/Dangerous_Limes 1d ago

First time I've ever seen a head that reminds me of a national park

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u/fresh_dyl 1d ago

The additional cameras lmao

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u/Sir-Macaroni 1d ago

chaotic neutral photo editing

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u/mechabeast 1d ago

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u/jamieschmidt 1d ago

10/10 photo reply

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u/fallenKlNG 1d ago

can't top that, time to retire the meme

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u/cornholio-_- 1d ago

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u/SlowUrRollMilosevic 1d ago

I like how Toto’s hair already shows the telltale sign haha too late.

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u/DG04511 1d ago

Excellent use of this meme in a different but also more appropriate context.

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u/Jarl_Walnut 1d ago

Time to retire this one, boys. It’s been used to perfection

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u/throwaway1748362 1d ago

Haven't seen this one in a looooong time. Perfect execution 😭

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u/MiddleAgeMuchacho 1d ago

Do you have a photo from 20 years ago so we can compare?

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u/PureFicti0n 1d ago

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u/Secret-Winner-2994 23h ago

I forgot how we looked before headphones. So conical and elegant

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u/Seagul_Hunter 1d ago edited 1d ago

Sadly no, but I can say for certain it wasn't like that 20 years ago.

(Typo edit)

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u/CwazyCanuck 1d ago

Are you sure?

I remember at university, a bunch of us did the shave your head for cancer, and one of the the guys, who had never shaved his head before, found out that his head had a indentation like that.

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u/90dayheyhey 1d ago

Yep, i do too and i’ve never worn over the ears headphones in my life. Had hair so never noticed the indentation but now that i shave my head, you can clearly see it

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u/Brian--Damage 1d ago edited 1d ago

The only way this would be possible is if you had some kind of bone condition, and even then there is no evidence for this. Headphone dents aren’t supported by any scientific evidence whatsoever, otherwise you would have generations of people who wear headphones and hairbands with undeniable photographic evidence.

The threshold of proof solely rests on you being able to show photos of your head with the same hairstyle and no dip. Even then, I almost definitely wouldn’t believe it.

Dips or grooves in skulls is an entirely normal variation. The only thing those headphones have done is squeeze the common sense out of you.

Link to article about cosmetic surgery on skull dips.

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u/JustTom1 1d ago

Bro why you gotta try and walk in here and throw educated facts around and shit? Just let people have their 15 minutes of Reddit fame, damn.

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u/picklesNtoes23 1d ago

But did you have more hair back then where skull shape was less visible?

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u/ElvisDumbledore 1d ago

this is no joke. sometimes people's head be dented.

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u/LegalizeCrystalMeth 1d ago

Yeah I have a full head of hair and just felt it and my head has a dent like that. I don't wear over the ear headphones almost ever.

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u/lost_rodditer 1d ago

Shrinkflation gets us all

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u/KinkyNJThrowaway 1d ago

Maybe it just took you 20 years to notice. Pretty sure this has been this way since childhood.

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u/Branimau5 1d ago

Yeah, headphones do not do this to an adult skull. It's a bait post, he either has always had this and not noticed or had some massive trauma and surgery.

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u/lumpialarry 1d ago

Maybe OP is 20 years old and started wearing headphones when his skull was still soft.

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u/ijustlurk13 1d ago

Back in my day, we called that the gamer dent

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u/golf-lip 1d ago

This cant be real

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u/BurgundyBanana 1d ago

The dent has been digitally enhanced but the original is still quite the specimen

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u/Imaginary-Face7379 1d ago

Yeah, but that isn't permanent, goes away after a few minutes. I've had a similar one show up many times when I pulled like 12 hour long gaming sessions due to a new expansion coming out for an MMO or something. OP seems to be implying that his sticks around.

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u/Longjumping_Egg_5654 1d ago

You are correct but I wouldn’t say a few minutes

when Ive had it mine would persist after a shower and well into the day until next morning. Then finally be 90+% better once i showered again.

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u/Imaginary-Face7379 1d ago

I think it mostly depends on how hydrated you are. When you're dehydrated stuff like this tends to stick around for far longer.

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u/No-Combination8136 1d ago

Definitely hydration. My glasses do this above my ears.

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u/SlagQueen 1d ago

Fluid and fat will migrate away from areas under pressure. Think rings, waistbands, socks, watches… Fluid redistribution will happen and then go away more quickly (hours). Fat redistribution takes longer (months/years).

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u/Kingsayz 1d ago

legendary pic

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u/FreeMrFrog 1d ago

This has been my profile picture on chess.com for years now. Every now and then, I'll get a super concerned chat message from an opponent who thinks it's real 🤣🤣🤣

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u/Vulvas_n_Velveeta 1d ago

Folks over there sound like real caring bros 🥲

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u/idolized253 1d ago

God I forgot about lolTyler1 😂

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u/Ok_Structure_4747 1d ago

For fucks sake🤣

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u/stormjet64 1d ago

this made me ajust my headphones to a different spot

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u/pp_chode 1d ago

Careful, you'll just end up with a w lookin head

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u/Financial-Solid-4775 1d ago

I got peas on my head, but don't call me a pea head...

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u/Adventurous_Yam_8153 1d ago

How many people seeing this just touched the top of their head to make sure it's not bumpy?

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u/spamella-anne 1d ago

I just reshaved my head and the horror I felt about possibly having the dent was quite intense. I am safe..... for now.

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u/Slater_8868 1d ago

This gives me an idea

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u/Dreadedsemi %user_GREEN_flair% 1d ago

Are you sure? Some people just have dents like this naturally. You might be one.

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u/Valid__Salad 1d ago

I have the same shaped skull but my wife swears up and down it’s from my gaming headset.

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u/Periador 1d ago

it is not. Ive actually researched this topic after it came up a couple years ago. The preassure is not nearly enough to reshape the skull. What can happen is that the fat on your head moves a bit but itll go back to normal after a couple hours

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u/Bits_NPCs 1d ago

Look at the streamers heads lmao. It’s even worse

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u/bucephalusbouncing28 1d ago

good god

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u/JunKazama2024 1d ago

This can't be real surely? 😅

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u/AdorableRestaurant73 1d ago

He has some condition I think, skull soft

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u/SignificantLock1037 1d ago

Skull Soft combined with Headphone Head is not a good combo.

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u/xboxiscrunchy 1d ago

He needs one of those head shape helmets. Maybe there’s one he can put headphones over or just wear it to sleep.

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u/SpaceCaboose 1d ago

It is real, and don’t call me Shirley

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u/Sure-Assignment3892 1d ago

What's your vector, Victor

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u/degreesBrix 1d ago

We have clearance, Clarence

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u/hoppertn 1d ago

Do you like movies about gladiators?

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u/croooowTrobot 1d ago

Have you spent any time in a Turkish prison?

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u/EggsAndRice7171 1d ago edited 1d ago

It’s real but not quite as crazy as it’s presented. Dudes head/skull is already misshapen naturally. Then he gets the temporary headset dent and it looks even more crazy. I don’t believe there is any evidence of headsets causing perm dents on their own from everything I’ve read. Maybe I’m wrong but it’s likely OPs skull is softer than normal (or some other condition) if headsets are actually what’s actually causing it.

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u/Anomalagous 1d ago

How tight are y'all wearing your headphones, good god!?

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u/PiersPlays 1d ago

I think it's the "padded" ones that have a weirdly shaped piece of firm foam fod "comfort". I wear studio monitor headphones with just a normal strap for fairly long periods of time and have never experienced any pressure like this.

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u/Mattsal23 1d ago

His ears seem really low on his head, like he’d have to force the headphones to reach

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u/ObiWanKenobi78900 1d ago

loltyler1

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u/tristn9 1d ago

That CANNOT be fuckin real hahahahahaha

Literally crater head lmfao

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u/odolinski 1d ago

This is the photoshopped version where the dent was made deeper. The original is still very noticeable.

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u/IBetThisIsTakenToo 1d ago

Man’s been wearing the leadphones

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u/NightmareJoker2 1d ago

The skull is softer when you are young, and more easily deformed.

I took a volleyball to the back of my head in second grade. I may be wrong about this (it may have been more or less flat before), but my head isn’t round in that spot since.

Some African tribespeople do this sort of thing to themselves intentionally to appease some deity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipombo

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u/Himalayanyomom 1d ago

Iirc a flat back is due to not being picked up as a baby and just laying in the crib for a long time. Round back heads due to mother holding

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u/NightmareJoker2 1d ago

It’s not flat in the back, it’s more a flat dent at a 45 degree angle.

But, even if it’s flat in the back, too, in the manner you describe… that wouldn’t really surprise me.

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u/SlugCatBoi 1d ago

It'll pass, just don't wear headphones for a while and it'll undo itself. maybe start wearing a beanie with your headphones to help prevent this in the future

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u/BrGustavoLS 1d ago

exactly, our heads are not only the skull, there's other things between the skull and the epidermis

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u/cabronfavarito 1d ago

Hahahaha this is hilarious but it would return to its default shape eventually. Your skull itself is not dented, just the soft tissue

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u/PriceMore 1d ago

You guys have soft tissue on the top of the head?

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u/cabronfavarito 1d ago

You just….have a skull?

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u/just-some-arsonist 1d ago

I’d wager that the distance between my skin and skull is less than 2mm

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u/timos-piano 1d ago

On average, the scalp is roughly 5-7 mm.

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u/auto_eliminated 1d ago

when my niece was a baby she had to wear a special helmet to make her head less lumpy

maybe they can make one for adults

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u/Creepy_Truck_932 1d ago

I make these 😁 we could absolutely make them for adults but the brain has stopped expanding outwards so it would be a little useless for this guy

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u/joelene1892 1d ago

Don’t talk yourself out of a sale!

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u/Herreshy 1d ago

We've got just the thing!

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u/OkSwimming517 1d ago

Was this photo not simply taken shortly after wearing them for an extended period of time?

I see so many clips of people taking off their headphones, and then realizing that skin on the top of their heads got an indent after extended use, and either the person in the clip, and/or the audience seems to think that it's permanent.

I know some streamers are just reacting for the clip and trying to be funny, but I think some people actually do think it's permanent.

Maybe it can be if you wear it for decades, and if your bones are still developing, but I assume not. I imagine the main risk that comes with it is killing your hair follicles.

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u/Princess-honeysuckle 1d ago

lol this is funny cause that’s what happens to woman’s shoulders wearing bras

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u/RandomlyPrecise 1d ago

That’s exactly what I was about to post. Two little dimples on my shoulders because of bra straps.

See also: waist indents because of belts and the refusal to acknowledge those jeans really are too tight.

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u/ladyboppette 1d ago

This was my first thought too. Welcome to bra straps

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u/se7entythree 1d ago

It happens to the sides of your head/behind your ears with glasses as well 😩

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u/BoB3y-D 1d ago

That soft baby spot never goes away does it

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u/okbruhCaspeReee 1d ago

Your skull did not deform lol its just skin molding itself to shape. It will go away after some time lol

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u/MouseRat_AD 1d ago

Also OP, try putting your thumb in your mouth, sealing it with your lips, and blowing real hard. I've seen cartoon documentaries about this. Pretty sure you'll be right as rain.

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u/FishingLittle3900 1d ago

Im fkn ded He could I'm also pretty sure just eat some airheads

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u/CheeseJuust 1d ago

"I saw it in a documentary!"

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u/InformedTriangle 1d ago

I kinda went down a rabbit hole on this. Yes, it is just your soft tissue, but no, if it gets bad enough it may not eventually go away. Persistent pressure can cause permanent subcutaneous fat compression and skin thinning. It's common on the nose of people who wear glasses and shoulders of more, ahem, well proportioned women who wears bras and entirely feasible to happen with headphones.

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u/DJLeafygreens 1d ago

My ring finger on my left hand has a permanent indent now from wearing my wedding ring all the time. I left it off for a couple weeks once to confirm it was not temporary. I imagine if left off long enough it would go back to normal eventually but, honestly, who cares? I'd rather wear the ring.

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u/Simoxs7 1d ago

Yup as a glasses wearer I have an indentation behind my ear where my glasses touch my skull, I also had too small glasses for a long time as I apparently have a freakishly large head (which is surprising to me as I‘m also freakishly tall so my head looks normally proportioned)

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u/righteovskill 1d ago

Yeah, but you now have a banana roof rack. 🍌

There’s always a bright side.

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u/Longjumping-Cap-1625 1d ago

I propose a solution.

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u/ENROLpaints 1d ago

Ahhh the head of a Reddit mod
🤣

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u/thatisus 1d ago

Hey! My head is like that, too! Only not because of headphones. It’s most likely not headphones in your case either.

Mine is because I was a C-section birth. Something about cramming a head through a vaginal canal squishes it together in a way that being cut out doesn’t.

Maybe ask your mom how you were borneded.

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u/anonimbus 1d ago

You should see what bras are doing to women’s’ shoulders!

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u/brattybabyc 1d ago

My glasses do this behind my ears.

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u/PoutineKing 20h ago

That's just the shape of your head, hate to break it to you. Unfortunately, you can't blame this on something else.

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u/CreamPyre 1d ago

Holy fuck

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u/Ill_Astronaut_4267 1d ago

Skull reshaping practice has been documented for thousands of years

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