All About Dandruff

If you're troubled by dandruff, that snowy, dust-like stuff that falls from scalp to shoulders, this site can help you. You're not alone: Nearly everyone has dandruff to some degree. You can take steps today to fight dandruff and stop being self-conscious about those flakes.

You can treat dandruff with over-the-counter (OTC) products. Generally dandruff causes no other health problems or permanent damage. But be careful not to confuse simple dandruff with more serious conditions that also cause flaking of the scalp, such as psoriasis or eczema.

Get the facts about Dandruff...Now!

Unfortunately, many people mistakenly think dandruff results from dry scalp, frequent shampooing or poor hygiene. But that is not correct. These misconceptions and other dandruff myths keep people from properly treating their dandruff problem, and then they worry about what others think of them. Adults with dandruff are more self-conscious about their appearance.

Today's research now indicates that dandruff is a medical condition caused by an overabundance of an organism that normally exists on everyone's scalp - even people who don't have dandruff. This is important information for the millions of Americans who feel self-conscious and embarrassed about their appearance due to dandruff flakes.

Dandruff typically appears in puberty and continues throughout life. Its incidence is highest at age 40. An estimated 63 million Americans - or one in three adults - experience dandruff symptoms. An additional 12.4 million people suffer from seborrheic dermatitis, a more severe form of dandruff that affects scalp and skin. More people in the U.S. have dandruff problems than arthritis (40 million) and smoking addiction (48 million).

Perhaps you are one of the millions needlessly enduring the flaking, itchiness, redness and scalp inflammation caused by dandruff. If so you need to know that these symptoms, which can range from minor to severe discomfort, can be treated successfully.

What Makes the Flake?

Dandruff occurs when the scalp sheds dead skin cells in large clumps. Dandruff flakes appear dry, white or grayish. They appear as small, unsightly patches, especially on top of the head.

Dandruff is most frequently visible on the scalp. That is because scalp cells replenish themselves very rapidly.  The skin of the head renews itself about once a month. That means new epidermus cells constantly push older scalp cells to the skin's surface, where they gradually die. For many people, the scalp sheds dead skin cells in a nearly invisible way. But when cell turnover becomes unusually rapid, the dead cells become visible and called dandruff flakes.

Most people assume dandruff comes from a dry scalp, but the opposite is true: People with oily scalps suffer most frequently from dandruff. In fact, today's evidence indicates that this increased cell turn over (causing dandruff) is actually a minor infection of the scalp when there is an overabundance of a micro-organism called Malassezia (also known as Pityrosporum ovale or P. ovale). Malassezia is a yeast-like fungus that is normally found on skin. Dandruff occurs when the Malassezia becomes present at higher levels in skin.

"This may be due to an oily scalp supporting the growth of yeast in the scalp, which is thought to be instrumental in the development of scaling and scalp irritation," says Joseph P. Bark, M.D., chairman of dermatology at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lexington, Ky. "A large preponderance of males have dandruff, which may suggest some role of androgen hormones in dandruff."

Bark says that dandruff has its bright side: If the scalp doesn't shed its dead skin cells, the human scalp would become tremendously thick.

"But when the cell turnover goes too far and increases, then you get not only visible excess scaling, but redness and itching," he says. "Redness and itching is actually seborrheic dermatitis, and it frequently occurs around the folds of the nose and the eyebrow areas, not just the scalp."

Actually, the idea that a skin fungus might contribute to dandruff was first proposed over 100 years ago. But only recently over the past 20 years has research advanced to where this can be proved.

Dandruff is a medical - not cosmetic - condition

Understanding that dandruff is a medical condition is essential in selecting a treatment that will return the scalp to its natural balance. No longer considered just a cosmetic concern, dandruff can now be successfully treated with new techniques developed through medical research. Particularly important is the treatment of Malassezia.

Starting in the 1970s, dermatologists used new techniques to study skin structure and functions, including the growth of epidermal cells. They learned that epidermal cell turnover (the production and shedding of the uppermost layer of the skin) was increased in patients with dandruff. Dermatologists at that time assumed that the increased epidermal cell turnover, or "hyperproliferation," was causing dandruff, and that Malassezia (then called P. ovale) colonization was secondary.

It is now evident that the opposite is true: Malassezia overgrowth occurs first, and increased epidermal cell turnover is secondary. Hyperproliferation occurs because the skin is growing and flaking more rapidly as a result of the yeast presence.

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Learn more about Current Treatments for Dandruff at home, and Medical Treatments for Dandruff.