In todays article, we will look into what is Dandruff and what causes dandruff? Understanding How dandruff is formed in really important in dealing with and for treatment of dandruff. Plus in this episode, you will also get answers to many other useful questions on dandruff.
- What is Dandruff?
Dandruff is a non inflammatory skin condition that mainly affects the scalp – mind you it’s the skin not the hair. Relax! You are not alone, More than 50 percent of the population is affected by dandruff and males are more affected than females. Simple Dandruff is harmless to the body, where as the more severe inflammatory form of this is called seborrheic dermatitis can be bad.
- What are the signs and symptoms of dandruff?
Commonest is flaking or scaling with or without itchiness over the scalp. This can result in low social or self-esteem. This can also involve eyebrows and even beard and chest hair and can sometimes cause rashes over the skin.
- What is the Actual Cause for Dandruff?
Dandruff is not about your hair, or how often you wash it. Instead, it’s about the skin on your scalp. Skin cells that grow too fast and die off too fast and shed as flakes – this is the actual mechanism which forms the dandruff flakes. This is as fast as 2 to 7 days in people with dandruff and normally this skin cell turn over should be about 30 days in normal people. Why and How exactly this happens, is still unknown.
The best understood hypothesis for dandruff is the Fungus theory. A fungus called malassezia is believed to cause the dandruff. This fungus normally lives on the scalp of most healthy adults without causing any problems. This theory says that the immune system of people with dandruff may overreact to that fungus and resulting in too fast turn over of skin cells resulting in flaking. Hence the treatment with antifungals in successful in most cases.
- Why this Commonly Affects Scalp and not other areas?
According to one study, dandruff happens in association with Skin oil medically called as sebum that’s secreted by your sebaceous glands around the hair follicle And the fungus Malassezia is attracted to this oil and metabolizes the tryglycerides or fats in this oil and evokes an inflammatory response in susceptible people.
Keep Watching guys, understanding these points is very important to control dandruff. Well!
- What Factors are thought to be responsible for Dandruff and flaring of Dandruff?
Many Factors are responsible dandruff:
- Genetic Factors: If any concept remains unknown or unclear, we always blame this on our genes and that’s true most of the times.
- Stress: is another factor that can aggravate dandruff. Stress impairs your immune system and can be one of the causes of dandruff or provoking flare-ups. Also the itching may be more severe if its due to stress.
- Not Shampooing Frequently: People say frequent washing or shampooing can strip your hair of necessary oils. But here, as already discussed, oils are being utilized by the organisms to create those dandruff flakes!
- Diet: certain foods may flare-up a dandruff, like foods high in saturated and trans fats can cause your sebaceous glands to produce more oil, which makes dandruff worse.
- Over use of Hair styling Products like certain oils and styling gels can worsen dandruff.
- Season: Dandruff may fluctuate with seasons and often worsens in winter season.