Soft, healthy hair
What exactly is dandruff?
Dandruff is a chronic scalp condition characterised by excessive flaking and is also associated with itching and redness.
In a healthy scalp, new skin cells are continually formed at the lowest level of the skin and move toward the outer surface where they become flat and are invisibly shed. The movement of these cells to the outer layer usually takes about 28 days. With dandruff, however, the movement is accelerated to seven to 21 days. As a result, rather than being shed as separate, microscopic cells, they are shed as large clumps of hundreds or even thousands of cells, commonly known as "flakes".
What’s the difference between dandruff and just having a dry scalp?
The main difference is flakes from dandruff are medium to large in size. They’re usually white and oily looking, and are believed to be caused by Malassezia, a naturally occurring fungus found on the scalp. By comparison, dry scalp is characterised by small, powdery flakes that result from dryness and/or excessive itching. The dryness comes from your scalp lacking in natural oils
What causes dandruff?
The leading cause of dandruff is believed to be a naturally occurring fungus found on almost everyone’s scalp called Malassezia. This fungus feeds on your scalp’s natural oils and creates byproducts and acids that cause irritation to the scalp. A person’s body reacts to the irritation by accelerating the amount and rate of flaking of dead skin cells.
Other factors such as climate, stress, hormone production, excessively oily skin and dietary influences are all thought to affect the likelihood of dandruff appearing
How can dandruff be treated?
Dandruff can be treated with products containing at least one of the following types of active ingredients:
Anti-fungal ingredients reduce the amount of fungus on the scalp, therefore treating the leading cause of dandruff. These ingredients include Pyrithione Zinc ("ZPT"), Selenium Sulfide, Ketoconazole, Climbazole and Octopirox.
Anti-proliferative agents slow down the production of skin cells without necessarily acting directly against the fungus. One such ingredient is coal tar, which tackles only the symptoms of dandruff.
Keratolytic agents break down the intercellular bond (keratin) that holds skin cells together on the uppermost layer of the scalp. Therefore, when the top layer of cells are shed, they are separate rather than in clumps. These agents include sulfur and salicylic acid, which tackles only the symptoms and not the cause of dandruff.
How common is dandruff?
You may be surprised by how common dandruff really is. Dandruff affects about 60% of the American population at some point in time, and is the most common scalp condition known today. The good news is that it is easy to control with the use of an effective anti-dandruff shampoo, such as Head & Shoulders.*
Can I get rid of dandruff forever?
Malassezia, believed to be the leading cause of dandruff, is a naturally occurring microorganism on the skin and is very difficult, if not impossible, to completely eliminate. However, consistent use of an anti-dandruff shampoo can help prevent and control the fungus and its flaky byproducts.
Why is it important to have a healthy, balanced scalp?
Two key characteristics of a healthy, balanced scalp are a) the natural moisture is balanced, and b) dandruff is under control. An unbalanced scalp is characterised by itching, redness or irritation due to dryness and scratching. These factors can cause damage to the hair near its root and make the hair look dull and limp. If a great deal of force is used to scratch the scalp, some hairs can break near the root. A healthy, balanced scalp will usually keep this from happening.
Dandruff is a chronic scalp condition characterised by excessive flaking and is also associated with itching and redness.
In a healthy scalp, new skin cells are continually formed at the lowest level of the skin and move toward the outer surface where they become flat and are invisibly shed. The movement of these cells to the outer layer usually takes about 28 days. With dandruff, however, the movement is accelerated to seven to 21 days. As a result, rather than being shed as separate, microscopic cells, they are shed as large clumps of hundreds or even thousands of cells, commonly known as "flakes".
What’s the difference between dandruff and just having a dry scalp?
The main difference is flakes from dandruff are medium to large in size. They’re usually white and oily looking, and are believed to be caused by Malassezia, a naturally occurring fungus found on the scalp. By comparison, dry scalp is characterised by small, powdery flakes that result from dryness and/or excessive itching. The dryness comes from your scalp lacking in natural oils
What causes dandruff?
The leading cause of dandruff is believed to be a naturally occurring fungus found on almost everyone’s scalp called Malassezia. This fungus feeds on your scalp’s natural oils and creates byproducts and acids that cause irritation to the scalp. A person’s body reacts to the irritation by accelerating the amount and rate of flaking of dead skin cells.
Other factors such as climate, stress, hormone production, excessively oily skin and dietary influences are all thought to affect the likelihood of dandruff appearing
How can dandruff be treated?
Dandruff can be treated with products containing at least one of the following types of active ingredients:
Anti-fungal ingredients reduce the amount of fungus on the scalp, therefore treating the leading cause of dandruff. These ingredients include Pyrithione Zinc ("ZPT"), Selenium Sulfide, Ketoconazole, Climbazole and Octopirox.
Anti-proliferative agents slow down the production of skin cells without necessarily acting directly against the fungus. One such ingredient is coal tar, which tackles only the symptoms of dandruff.
Keratolytic agents break down the intercellular bond (keratin) that holds skin cells together on the uppermost layer of the scalp. Therefore, when the top layer of cells are shed, they are separate rather than in clumps. These agents include sulfur and salicylic acid, which tackles only the symptoms and not the cause of dandruff.
How common is dandruff?
You may be surprised by how common dandruff really is. Dandruff affects about 60% of the American population at some point in time, and is the most common scalp condition known today. The good news is that it is easy to control with the use of an effective anti-dandruff shampoo, such as Head & Shoulders.*
Can I get rid of dandruff forever?
Malassezia, believed to be the leading cause of dandruff, is a naturally occurring microorganism on the skin and is very difficult, if not impossible, to completely eliminate. However, consistent use of an anti-dandruff shampoo can help prevent and control the fungus and its flaky byproducts.
Why is it important to have a healthy, balanced scalp?
Two key characteristics of a healthy, balanced scalp are a) the natural moisture is balanced, and b) dandruff is under control. An unbalanced scalp is characterised by itching, redness or irritation due to dryness and scratching. These factors can cause damage to the hair near its root and make the hair look dull and limp. If a great deal of force is used to scratch the scalp, some hairs can break near the root. A healthy, balanced scalp will usually keep this from happening.
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