Dandruff

The presence of Dandruff is marked by white flakes of skin and itching of the scalp region. The dandruff occurs in majority of the population and is not strictly an alarming condition. However, the presence of dandruff can lead to embarrassment and feeling of low self esteem. There are basically three types of dandruff depending on their primary cause.

Oil-Related Dandruff – It occurs primarily due to the accumulation of oils in the scalp and skin. It results due to bad hygiene practices. The oil-related dandruff is caused by not using the shampoo for washing your hair. There is presence of sebaceous glands beneath your scalp that are responsible for production of protective oil sebum. This production and release of Sebum is a natural phenomenon in human beings and it makes up an integral part of healthy hair. However, if this sebum is not cleared in time, it can combine with dead skin and dirt leading to the formation of dandruff.

Yeast-Related Dandruff – This type of dandruff is formed because of the presence of a fungus called Malassezia that occurs on everyone’s scalps. In normal conditions the population of this yeast is limited, however in case of dandruff it multiplies in large numbers. It occurs because the presence of excess oil on the skin offers enough food for the fungus to grow and create large population. This population of fungus causes the irritation of the skin and builds additional skin cells on the scalp. The added skin cells dies eventually and shed leading to the formation of dandruff flakes.

Disease-Related Dandruff – This dandruff is resulted due to the presence of other scalp related infections. The presence of psoriasis in a person leads to a skin disease that is marked by the overproduction of scalp’s skin cells leading to scale like skin. The shedding of these additional skin cells later combine with sebum oil for producing dandruff. Eczema is another skin condition that leads to the production of itchy and dry flaky skin.