Dandruff is the condition in which flaking of skin takes place on the scalp. It is the most common scalp problem in every teenager and is caused by dryness of skin during winter and oily skin during summer. Dandruff can be managed easily by shampooing the hair using a gentle cleanser. It is characterized by repeated itching and flaking and may be embarrassing for the affected person. Dandruff is not contagious and can be controlled by medicated shampoos.
Symptoms :
- Dandruff can be easily identified by scaling of skin on the scalp and itching. Tiny white flakes of dead skin would fall on your shoulder that causes itching. Dandruff formation increases during winter and fall.
- The person would constantly feel itching sensation on his scalp where flakes of dead skin are found. By keeping the hair healthy and clean, dandruff can easily be managed. For severe cases, the scalp would become red and swollen.
- Cradle cap is a type of dandruff affecting the babies. Most of the newborns will have crusty scalp and scaling of dead skin cells. But this would settle on its own without requiring any treatment.
Causes :
Dry skin can produce itchy and flaking of skin on the scalp during cold weather. Flakes of dead skin cells produced by the dry skin will not have any oil content in it. By keeping the skin moisture you can get rid of this problem. Dandruff can also be caused due to seborrheic dermatitis that is marked by greasy oily skin with whitish or yellowish scales of skin. It is the most common cause for getting dandruff on the scalp and sometimes it would affect other parts of the body like eyebrows, nose, ears, and groin.
Unclean hair can cause dandruff due to building up of dead skin cells. Psoriasis is a chronic skin problem affecting knees and torso but it can also affect your scalp causing dandruff. Similarly eczema can cause dandruff. Changing the hair-care products frequently and using the cosmetic that contains paraphenylene diamine can cause irritation on the scalp leading to dandruff. Sometimes fungus named malassezia can overgrow causing irritating flakes of white color that fall on your clothes. Finally stress, emotion, chronic illness and neurological problem can increase the formation of dandruff.
Who Are At Risk?
Dandruff can occur on anyone but mostly it is overly seen in teenagers and middle aged people. Men have increased chance for getting dandruff. Keeping the skin and hair unclean makes you vulnerable to get dandruff. Eating poor diet that lacks zinc and vitamin B can increase the chance of getting dandruff.