What is Dandruff:
Dandruff is a condition of the scalp that causes flakes of skin to appear and is often accompanied by itching. Dandruff is a sign that the skin of the scalp is peeling off (exfoliating). It is perfectly normal for the skin to exfoliate. The problem arises when the amount of dandruff becomes more.
Why do you get Dandruff?
- Testosterone male hormone which develops in the body after maturation stimulates the oil producing glands of the scalp, face, skin folds, and chest & back which produces oil. A yeast called Malassezia which normally lives on the healthy skin feeds on the oil secreted by the scalp & multiplies, and breaks the oil into free fatty acids, this leads to increase skin production over scalp & flaking of skin.
- Irritated, oily skin: It affects not only your scalp, but also may affect areas in your body where there is lot of oil glands. For example: the eyebrows, sides of the nose, back of the ears, breastbone, armpits, or even in your groin area.
- Not shampooing enough: Your scalp skin cells naturally die and shed. Sometimes they can also get trapped in oily clumps. If you don’t shampoo regularly, these clumps may build up–causing dandruff.
- Reaction to certain hair products (contact dermatitis): Certain ingredients in hair care products or hair dyes can cause irritation of the skin. This results in a red, itchy, and scaling scalp. This is especially common to those with sensitive skin.
Who gets Dandruff? : About 1-3 in 100 adults develop this condition. It most often occurs in young adults/Teens but can occur at any age. It is more common in men than in women. Some babies have a similar condition called cradle cap with thick scales over the head; this usually clears within 6-12 months after birth once the breast feeding is stopped. This condition is due to mother’s hormones secreted in the breast milk causing excess flaking of the new born scalp.
How does it appear? :
The flakes may be white or light yellow, sometimes appear greasy. They often fall from a person’s scalp when the hair is touched, rubbed, or brushed.
General information:
It is not a contagious disease.
It does not affect the health or growth of the individual.
Dandruff will not cause any hair loss.
Seborrhoiec dermatitis: Dandruff is a mild form of seborrheic dermatitis.
Seborrheic dermatitis is an inflammatory condition that usually occurs in areas of the body that have more oil-producing glands, including the scalp, face, upper chest, and back. It is also common during infancy; this is called cradle cap. Cradle cap usually resolves by eight to 12 months of age.
The rash is made up of red areas covered with greasy-looking white or yellowish scales. Most commonly, the rash involves just one or two areas, but it can sometimes be extensive.
Seborrhoeic dermatitis occurs most often:
On the scalp: Ranges from a mild flaky scalp(dandruff) to a redder, scalier & sometimes weeping rash.
On the face: It often affects the inner parts of the eyebrows, the creases beside the nose and adjacent parts of the cheeks. The eyelids may also become red, sensitive and inflamed (blepharitis).
In and around the ears: Some people have inflammation inside the ear canals, in the cup of the ear and behind the ears. The skin often oozes and crusts are formed in these areas and the ears may swell. Inflammation in the ear canal (otitis externa) can cause it to become blocked.
Front of the chest and between the shoulder blades: It shows up as roundish red patches that are sometimes scaly.
In the flexures/skin folds: It often affects moist areas such as the skin under the breasts, in the groin, under the arms, or in folds of skin on the abdomen. In infants, the nappy area is commonly affected
What are the Aggravating factors?
- Winter weather
- Mental stress
- Any foci of infection in the body (dental infection, sore throat, fever etc)
- Hair cosmetics – Overnight hair oil application or excessive oil application on scalp
- Bad life style habits
How to cure Dandruff:
Treatments may keep the condition under control, but they do not cure it completely. Dandruff flares up with the aggravating factors.
Treatment:
Unfortunately dandruff cannot be cured, but it can be effectively controlled. Shampooing every day or alternate days will remove the flakes, cleans the scalp, prevents itching.
Dandruff (mild seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp) can be treated with anti-dandruff shampoos. Several types of anti-dandruff shampoos are available, with the main difference between them being the active ingredient. All of these treatments are equally effective, which contain Selenium sulfide, Tar, Zinc pyrithione, Ketoconazole, Salicylic acid etc.
For best results, the shampoo should be left in place for 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing. The shampoo should be rinsed out of the hair completely. The shampoo may be used every day initially, and then every other day as symptoms improves. These shampoos can be used for as long as needed.
If seborrheic dermatitis that does not improve or worsens with the above measures, topical corticosteroids, topical immunomodulators, oral antifungal drugs or antibiotics are given to treat itching and inflammation.
Healthy life style habits results in healthy body there by leads to healthy hair & skin