Dandruff - Symptoms And Remedies

Dandruff – Symptoms And Remedies


Dandruff is also known medically as Seborrhea. It’s a very common skin defect that usually occurs on oily skin. It is the shedding of dry and dead skin usually from the scalp.

Dandruff affects a large number of the population usually within a selected distribution of ethnicity, gender or age. Dandruff formation is usually triggered by keratinocytes and the major symptom for people with dandruff is usually itching of the affected area.

There is no absolute cure for Dandruff, but in most cases dandruff is usually cleared through the use of shampoos and a hair cleansing agent. There are a lot of psychological effects of dandruff at those who are chronically affected by the shedding of dead skin cells such as;
Low self-esteem issues, and constantly self-conscious of ones looks.

What are the causes of Dandruff?
There are 3 major factors that trigger the chronic formation of dead skin cells on the scalp such as;
1. Fungus Malassezia furfur which affects certain types of individuals that are very susceptible to the fungus.
2. Malassezia yeasts caused by metabolic by-products of microorganisms.
3. Skin oil secretion usually known as sebaceous secretion or sebum

Other causes are;
4. Allergic reactions to various chemicals , hair gels and shampoos could also be another secondary cause of dandruff.
5. Emotional stress

How Can Dandruff Be Treated And Controlled?
1. Sebum released from the scalp can be controlled by Zinc pyrithione ZPT an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial chemical agent, which helps to inhibit the release of significant amount of yeast growth from the scalp.
2. Using steroids are also effective in the control of dandruff due to its ant- inflammatory and antipoliferative effects.
3. Coal Tar is another very effective agent in fighting dandruff. It contains Keratoplastic which helps slow down shedding of skin cells and growth of skin cells.
4. Black Pepper contains effective dandruff fighting agents such as mineral zinc and selenium which is a chemical agent important in fighting Dandruff. It is an Indian Ayuverda dandruff cleanser.
5. Egg Oil a popular chemical used in Asia by the Japanese, Chinese and Indians . Effective in fighting dandruff.

Dandruff often occurs during the puberty stages of an individual , from 20 to the middle ages as it has been estimated that more than half the total world population of people would be affected by dandruff at some point in time during their lives. Studies also have analyzed that dandruff is often common in males than females.