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The Truth About Dandruff
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Little White Flakes
You see the light yellow or white flakes on
your shoulders or in your hair. Those are the telltale signs of dandruff.
Dandruff flakes are dead skin cells that fall off your scalp. When you have
dandruff, your scalp may look scaly or red and feel itchy or raw. Scratching or
rubbing your head loosens the flakes. You may notice them more when you wear
dark clothes.
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Is Your Hair Care to Blame?
Dandruff doesn't mean you have dirty hair, but
the way you style your hair or the products you use might cause a flaky scalp.
Some hair coloring and styling products can leave a flaky, dry residue or
trigger a skin reaction that looks like dandruff. If you already have dandruff,
not washing your hair enough can make your dandruff look worse because dead
skin cells build up. You may want to try different hair products to see if they
help your dandruff clear up.
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Dandruff Can Show Up in Other Places
You can get dandruff on parts of your body
other than your scalp, like your forehead, eyebrows, eyelashes, or ears. Flaky
skin on your chest -- or anywhere you have body hair -- could be a sign of
dandruff, which is a mild form of seborrheic dermatitis. If the skin on your
body is oily or greasy or has a slight redness, that could also be a sign. Talk
to your doctor about treatment.
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Wash Away Dandruff
Special shampoos from the drugstore can treat
dandruff. These ingredients are common:
·
Ketoconazole fights
dandruff-causing fungi.
·
Salicylic acid gets
rid of flaky skin but can be drying and can
sometimes make the scalp more itchy.
·
Selenium sulfide slows
the buildup of dead skin cells and fights fungi.
·
Tar slows dead skin buildup,
but it may discolor blonde, gray, or color-treated hair.
·
Zinc pyrithione attacks
the fungus that may cause dandruff.
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Natural Dandruff Remedies
Some research supports these natural dandruff
treatments, but there's no proof they work consistently.
·
Aloe. Using aloe on the
scalp may help lessen itchiness and scaliness.
·
Tea tree oil shampoo. Using
a 5% tea tree oil shampoo may lessen dandruff and that itchy feeling.
·
Lemongrass shampoo. Washing
with a 2% lemongrass shampoo may help fight fungi that cause dandruff.
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Smarter Shampooing
Follow the directions on the dandruff shampoo
label. Using the pads of your fingers, gently rub the shampoo into your scalp.
Leave the shampoo on your head for 5 minutes -- or as directed -- before you
rinse. If you prefer the smell of your normal shampoo and conditioner, you can
use those afterward. As your dandruff gets
better, you may not need to use dandruff shampoo as often.
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Get Some Safe Sun
Spend a little time in the sun to fight
dandruff. Sunlight helps suppress the fungus that causes dandruff and
seborrheic dermatitis. Just make sure to protect your skin, including any
exposed scalp, by wearing a broad spectrum sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or
higher.
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Time to See Your Doctor
If you've been using a dandruff shampoo for
several weeks but still have dandruff, it may be time to see a doctor. You
should also see a doctor if your scalp is swollen or red, if your hair is falling out, or if
you have a red, scaly rash on other parts of your body. You may need
prescription-strength dandruff shampoo, an antifungal product, or a steroid
cream for your scalp or other parts of your body.
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What Causes Dandruff?
No one is really sure what causes dandruff.
It's probably caused by a fungus. Hair follicles and oil glands make an oil called
sebum, which may be a breeding ground for yeast or the fungus. This fungus
usually lives on your skin, but too much fungus may lead to dandruff. Too much
sebum also may cause dandruff. Being exposed to a lot of dry air can cause skin
to dry out and flake, which can look like dandruff.
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Dandruff Triggers
Dandruff tends to be worse during dry months.
Cold, dry winter weather in particular can make dandruff worse. Stress or
fatigue can trigger or aggravate it, too.
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Conditions That Lead to Flaky Scalp
Skin problems like acne, eczema, and psoriasis
can cause a buildup of dead skin cells on the scalp. People with serious
medical problems such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and HIV are prone to
developing dandruff. And, for unclear reasons, people recovering from a stroke,
heart attack, or head injury are also more likely to have dandruff.
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Dandruff Impostors
Sometimes what seems like dandruff can be an
entirely different condition. Head lice are itchy and lay eggs that look like
dandruff, but they're harder to shake off or brush out. Or your scalp could be
itching from ringworm, a fungus that causes dandruff-like flakes. With
ringworm, you might also have round patches of hair loss and blistered, scaly
areas on your scalp.
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Babies and Cradle Cap
When babies have seborrheic dermatitis, it's
called cradle cap. The brown or yellow scales may be itchy. You may find it on
the skin of a baby's scalp, eyelids, nose, and groin area. Cradle cap normally
clears up on its own by the time the baby is 8 to 12 months old. Try putting
mineral or vegetable oil on the baby's scalp for 10 minutes, then washing with
a mild baby shampoo. Talk to your health care provider if it doesn't go away.
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Dandruff: Harmful or Just Annoying?
Although having dandruff can be embarrassing,
it's harmless. It doesn't mean that you're not clean. It's not contagious: You
can't catch it or pass it along to someone else. Dandruff doesn't directly
cause hair loss, but scratching your scalp a lot could cause temporary hair
loss.
This tool does not provide medical
advice. See additional information.
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