A Canadian advertising agency was recently forced to remove a billboard type advert by the reaction from angry commuters.

An advert promoting hair loss solutions used mirrors, which were installed on the ceilings of public transport, to highlight people’s thinning hair, while promoting hair restorative treatment.

Although most comments about the advert were negative, one commuter did say that he thought it was ‘cruel and embarrassing, but genius’.

However, in general, the comments were negative and most people felt the adverts were in bad taste.

Sometimes, however, hard hitting adverts and campaigns can be useful in getting people to change their behaviour or do something about a problem.

For instance, over recent years smokers have been targeted by images of diseased lungs to highlight the effects of smoking upon the body. However, is it necessary to use such techniques to promote products for things that are generally only a social problem rather than life threatening illness?

One way round the problem of a mirrored ceiling could be to wear a hat. But does wearing a hat cause hair loss?

Rumours did abound at one time that wearing hats caused hair to thin, but this has now been discounted as an old wives tale.

However, there is a form of alopecia called traction alopecia, which is caused when too much stress is put on the hair follicles. Since wearing a hat theoretically can cause friction, the likelihood of this friction being sufficient to cause alopecia or thinning cannot be proven.

What is known to cause traction alopecia, however, is the over use of hairpieces and other extensions and even over styling of hair can cause a problem.

But there is currently no evidence that wearing a hat does the same.