Photo: baldingbeards

Dandruff is the flaky skin on the scalp that often shows up on your shoulders and clothes. It can be embarrassing at times and even lead to hair loss. Generally, a yeast by the name of malassezia grows in most scalps and cause irritation and excessive skin cells that shed as flakes.

Reasons for dandruff

There are different factors that contribute to dandruff. This includes excessive oily skin on the scalp, which encourages growth of malassezia that is also responsible for the condition. Also, hormonal changes in teenagers can result in oily skin that can contribute to dandruff. Dry scalp in some people can show up as dandruff. Seborrhoeic dermatitis is a condition that affects eyebrows, the back of the ears, nose, underarms, groin, folds, etc, that also causes redness and flakiness.

Psoriasis on the scalp also has scaly lesions, which maybe mistaken for dandruff. Sometimes in sensitive scalps, hair products and styling products can cause dryness that only adds to the problem.

What you can do about it?

You can prevent dandruff and maintain scalp condition, which can help to reduce its occurrence. If you have an oily scalp, wash your hair regularly with a gentle shampoo to cleanse well. If the scalp is dry or oily, conditioning once or twice a week helps. Avoid heat styling and excessive hair products. Use an over the counter anti-dandruff shampoo once or twice weekly. Use a shampoo with zinc pyrithione. If there is still irritation, itching or dryness despite using these shampoos visit a dermatologist who will prescribe medicated shampoos and rule out other skin conditions such as seborrhoeic dermatitis or psoriasis.