"They Say Baby Head Shapes Improve"... Parents Opt for '3 Million KRW' Helmets

According to The Financial News, cranial remolding helmets, which are said to improve the head shape of infants and young children, are becoming increasingly popular. Although diagnoses of Plagiocephaly, where a specific part of a newborn's head becomes flattened, are on the rise, more parents are purchasing these expensive products—costing up to 2 to 3 million KRW each—even for children who do not medically require treatment.
On the 7th, the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) reported that the number of patients diagnosed with Plagiocephaly reached 10,100 in 2024, a 25-fold increase over the past 15 years. In 2010, there were only 409 cases, but as cranial remolding helmets and corrective pillows became widely known, the number grew exponentially, surpassing 5,585 in 2018 and exceeding 10,000 for the first time in 2024. Notably, 99% of diagnosed patients were children under the age of five.
Plagiocephaly is categorized into 'positional Plagiocephaly,' commonly caused by early-life posture, and 'Plagiocephaly due to craniosynostosis,' where the sutures at the back of a newborn's skull fuse prematurely. Medically, helmet therapy is considered when the difference in the diagonal lengths of the head exceeds a certain threshold. It is known that infants between three and fifteen months, whose skulls are still flexible, need to wear the helmet for about 20 hours a day for effective results.
The issue is that some parents choose helmet therapy for cosmetic reasons, even when the condition is not severe enough to require it, or seek consultations at private correction centers without hospital visits. After some celebrities shared images of their children wearing helmets, related posts have surged on online parenting communities and social networking services (SNS).
Experts unanimously agree that mild Plagiocephaly can usually be improved through pillow adjustments and posture correction. Nevertheless, promotional claims that missing the optimal treatment window could make correction impossible for life are heightening parental anxiety.
Some argue that unless the child has Craniosynostosis, which can delay brain development, helmet therapy may actually be detrimental.


hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter