All About Dandruff

White flakes on the head looks ugly. It also becomes a cause for social embarrassment. These flakes are commonly known as dandruff or scurf. They are caused by excessive flaking away of the dead skin cells from the scalp. The skin cells of the scalp are similar to the skin cells elsewhere in the body and die after a time. The flaky cells can then be removed from the head by simply combing the hair thoroughly. It is a perfectly normal condition.
The condition becomes abnormal only when a large amount of skin starts flaking off or if the flakes turn greasy leading to irritation and inflammation of the scalp.

Causes- Dandruff can be caused by fungal attacks on the scalp. The action results in inflammation of the scalp and a large amount of dead skin cells are peeled off from the head as greasy white or grey patches. Sometimes, people contract dandruff when they are allergic to certain hair products like gels, hair sprays, hair oils etc. Dandruff formation can also be stimulated by extreme climate, body sweat and by certain food products containing sugar and yeast.

Some diseases like seborrheic dermatitis cause redness, itching and flaking off the skin not only from the scalp but also from the facial area. Seasonal changes and stress often trigger off seborrheic dermatitis.

Treatment- The best way of limiting dandruff  is to keep the head clean by washing it regularly with water and a mild shampoo. For a stubborn danduff, special dandruff shampoos available over the counter can be effective. These shampoos use a combination of products which help in removing the dead skin cells from the scalp and also control the formation of dandruff to some extent.

Anti fungal agents are used in medicated shampoos can successfully stop the recurrence of dandruff.