Dandruff
Dandruff particles are visible flakes of skin that have been continuously shed from the scalp. It is normal to shed some dead skin flakes as the skin is constantly renewing itself. The new cells form in the lower layers. They are gradually pushed to the surface as more new cells form beneath them. By the time they reach the surface, the cells have become flat and overlap each other like roof tiles. By then, these cells are dead and are shed from the surface all the time. They are so small that we do not notice this is happening.
With dandruff, this whole process of skin renewal (or skin turnover) speeds up, so a greater number of dead cells are being shed. Also, the cells are shed in clumps, which are big enough to be seen with the naked eye as embarrassing flakes, especially when they land on dark clothing. The scalp may also feel slightly itchy.
Dandruff is very common. According to Proctor and Gamble, it affects more than 50% of the population of the USA – so it is more common to have dandruff than not! It can occur at any age, but is most likely in the early 20s.
Causes of dandruff
Surprisingly, dandruff is a bit of an enigma. About 25 years ago, dermatologists started to blame a tiny fungus, the Malassezia yeast, on the scalp. Everyone has some Malassezia yeast on their skin, particularly in the greasy areas such as the scalp and upper back. It feeds on the natural grease of the skin, from which it produces oleic acid. The oleic acid triggers increased turnover of skin cells, resulting in dandruff. So, getting rid of the yeast should improve the dandruff.
Hormones may also be involved, because dandruff usually starts after puberty and is more common in men than women. For unknown reasons, people with some illnesses, such as Parkinson’s disease, are more likely to have dandruff.
Common beliefs about dandruff – true or false?
Dandruff is due to dryness of the skin
False. Dandruff is caused by a rapid turnover of cells, so more dead cells are shed from the surface. In fact, dandruff occurs in areas where the grease glands of the skin are most active, and the skin is not usually dry.
False. Dandruff is caused by a rapid turnover of cells, so more dead cells are shed from the surface. In fact, dandruff occurs in areas where the grease glands of the skin are most active, and the skin is not usually dry.
Dandruff is more common in males than in females
True. Probably because the grease glands are affected by hormones.
True. Probably because the grease glands are affected by hormones.
Dandruff is affected by the weather
Probably true. Sunlight inhibits the growth of the Malassezia yeast.
Probably true. Sunlight inhibits the growth of the Malassezia yeast.
Dandruff results from poor hygiene
False. Dandruff is caused by rapid turnover of skin cells, probably as a reaction to the Malassezia yeast. However, dandruff sufferers do not have more of the yeast than other people – they are just more sensitive to it.
False. Dandruff is caused by rapid turnover of skin cells, probably as a reaction to the Malassezia yeast. However, dandruff sufferers do not have more of the yeast than other people – they are just more sensitive to it.
Dandruff is contagious
False. You can not ‘catch’ dandruff from someone else, such as by using his/her brush or comb.
False. You can not ‘catch’ dandruff from someone else, such as by using his/her brush or comb.
Wearing a hat worsens dandruff
Possibly true. Pityrosporum ovale yeasts thrive best when protected from sunlight. Also, wearing a hat prevents sweat from evaporating, and this may encourage the yeast.
Possibly true. Pityrosporum ovale yeasts thrive best when protected from sunlight. Also, wearing a hat prevents sweat from evaporating, and this may encourage the yeast.
Getting rid of dandruff
- Hair gels and other hair products can irritate the scalp in some people. For a while, try doing without whatever you have been using, or change to a different product.
- Do not scratch your scalp. When you shampoo, massage your scalp without scratching. Scientists have looked at hair from dandruff sufferers who scratch, using an electron microscope that magnifies 400 times. They could see fingernail marks, damaging the hair at its root.
- If your dandruff is mild, try shampooing your hair twice a week using any shampoo labelled ‘frequent use, for dry hair’ (not an ordinary ‘antidandruff’ shampoo). This will remove the flakes that are being shed, and the moisturizer in the shampoo will protect the scalp.
- Avoid dyeing your hair (unless you absolutely must). We all have bacteria on our scalp, some of which are beneficial. These ‘good’ bacteria prevent dandruff yeast, and hair dyes reduce their numbers.
- If you want to try a natural remedy, boil four heaped tablespoons of dried thyme in half a litre of water (just under a pint) for 10 minutes. Let it cool and strain it through a sieve into a jar. Massage some of the liquid onto your scalp three times a week. Do not rinse it out.
- Look for a shampoo containing tea tree oil. Research from Australia (published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2002) showed that a 5% tea tree oil shampoo improved dandruff by 41%, which means that, although it did not get rid of the dandruff completely, there was a noticeable improvement.
- For more severe dandruff, you need to deal with the yeast. This means looking carefully at the small print on the antidandruff shampoo in your local pharmacy. You could start by trying a shampoo containing selenium sulfide, which has an anti-yeast effect. Wet your hair, rub the shampoo onto your scalp and rinse off. Repeat, leaving the shampoo for 3–5 minutes before rinsing off. Do not use selenium sulfide within 48 hours of applying a hair colorant or a perm lotion. Some shampoos contain zinc pyrithione, another anti-yeast chemical.
- The most effective treatment is an anti-yeast shampoo containing ketoconazole which, in some countries, you can buy from a chemist without a doctor’s prescription. Wet your hair, rub the shampoo onto your scalp and rinse off. Repeat, leaving the shampoo for 3–5 minutes before rinsing off. Use it twice a week for 2–4 weeks to clear the dandruff, and then once every 2 weeks, using a normal shampoo in between times.
- Antidandruff conditioners are also available.
When to see your doctor about dandruff
You should certainly see your family doctor if your scalp is red and itchy – or if the skin is flaky around the eyebrows, round the nose or behind the ears – because this suggests you have the more severe form called seborrhoeic dermatitis (seborrhoeic eczema). You should also see your doctor if the dandruff is very lumpy or patchy, or if you have scaly skin elsewhere, because it could be a skin disorder, such as psoriasis.
Written by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Edited by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Last updated:
Friday, February 26th 2010
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Comments on this article
Posted by Optional on 21/03/2010 at 09:27:59 pm
Can I wash my hair everyday if i have dandruff?
Posted by Optional on 11/03/2010 at 03:33:32 am
its a lot better knowing that its so common though.. and that its not caused by bad hygeine
Posted by ravi on 03/03/2010 at 07:18:00 am
i am feeling very shy because of dandruff
Posted by Optional on 27/02/2010 at 05:50:12 pm
I beg to differ with your suggestion that dandruff is not contagious - i got dandruff when some one who had it used my brush. I will never forget that - it took an age to get rid of it.
Posted by Optional on 27/02/2010 at 03:41:33 pm
So glad women don't have any testosterone; (lol) so what causes our dandruff? Estrogen? Make a better case.
Posted by Jonathan on 23/02/2010 at 05:09:34 pm
helpfull but its only noticable when i rub my hair and flakes everywhere, i have resorted to wearing lighter coloured clothes so people dont reconise it or see it HELP!
Posted by Anand Kumar on 17/02/2010 at 08:51:25 pm
Hi, You have cleared my doubts about dandruff. Thanks a lot for this well presented information .
Posted by irfan on 07/01/2010 at 12:45:00 pm
I have lot of dundraff pls help me and my hair falls fast
Posted by vam on 30/11/2009 at 10:16:00 pm
i have lots of dandrufh... please help me
Posted by rishi on 24/11/2009 at 02:12:00 pm
my dandruff is so bad when i move my head it like a snow storm
Posted by Anonymous on 17/11/2009 at 10:58:00 pm
my head is so itchy from it that i bleed my scalp bleeds where i scratch it so much; i also have flakes around my eyebrows.. is that serious?
Posted by Anonymous on 25/09/2009 at 09:28:00 pm
ewwww when i was in elementary school i had it soo bad and i would like pick it and it would bleed... T_T it was horride
Posted by Daniel N on 18/09/2009 at 11:19:00 pm
I was quite particular about avoiding sharing my brush with my boys for fear of infection, now i know better even though i still prefer they use theirs. i feel relieved. information is power thanks
Posted by thelma on 17/07/2009 at 07:58:00 am
This was extremely helpful just when i tot i had a disease,and my family wont share my brush cos my scalp is all flaky... my dandruff worsen after i colored my hair.
Posted by nikhil on 26/06/2009 at 05:18:00 am
climbazol containing shampoo is effective for dandruff control?
Posted by wanderingAround on 13/06/2009 at 02:35:00 am
hey! can i use ketaconazole with my other anti-dandruff shampoo??? coz' ketoconazole is used twice a week. and i'm thinking using it with my shampooo? i shampoo my head 7x a week. so can i use ketoconazole the same time as my shampoo? i have a bad grammar...
Posted by Calen on 08/06/2009 at 07:03:00 pm
I'm also wondering if dandruff increases by the amount of hair i have. P.S. This site ROCKS Thank You
Posted by Calen on 08/06/2009 at 06:58:00 pm
I never new that there were so many reasons to my dandruff. I'm not sure if i have bad dandruff or not it only seems really bad if i rub my head alot and i mean alot. Thank You
Posted by hair falling on 19/05/2009 at 05:31:00 pm
iam cotiniousely losing my hair.i have dandruff problem.my hairs are thin.
Posted by Anonymous on 25/04/2009 at 01:38:00 pm
I like the explanation but I have this little problem I Use a hairfood oil and it didnot workout. I want to try something new on natural remedy View more options please Thank You
Posted by headscratcher on 03/04/2009 at 05:06:00 am
wow this guide really helped me :D!
Posted by Aaawro on 21/03/2009 at 06:07:00 pm
Gah i have bad dandruff i used head and shoulders and it went away for a while yet i used the whole damn thing and later it just ended up coming back. I dont know what the hell to do
Posted by Anonymous on 20/03/2009 at 03:57:00 pm
You cannot catch dandruff from using someone else's brush. You can catch some other things but not dandruff
Posted by kali on 13/03/2009 at 08:05:00 pm
Hi, I'm 16 years old and Ihave a big dandruff problem. I've always had dandruff and never fully understood what to really use for it. Since I'm mixed with african american and another foreign type of hair like asian, hawaiin, indian type of hair. Usually i use coconut oil hair conditioning grease for my scalp and wash my hair with head n shoulders dandruff shampoo. Am I using the wrong products? How can I get rid of my dandruff? Its really bad. I get clumps of flakes in my scalp and my hair sometimes sheds a lot.
Posted by alyssa on 07/03/2009 at 07:23:00 pm
help i have dandruff
Posted by SWEETY on 22/02/2009 at 06:45:00 pm
I HAVE LOTS OF DANDRUFF IN MY HAIR WHAT I WILL DO TELL
Posted by Anonymous on 27/01/2009 at 10:23:00 am
I have tried everything to get rid of the dandruff but no success. Sunset shampoo are no longer available in South Africa. I have never tried Nizoral and would like to know if it is available in South Africa
Posted by Anonymous on 12/01/2009 at 05:00:00 pm
Try Apple cider Vinegar....and say bye bye to dandruff....
Posted by Smith on 26/12/2008 at 11:11:00 pm
Very bad dandruff with clump in lumps. Have tried t-tree nothing seems to work
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