Dandruff is a visible manifestation of the renewal of the epidermis of the scalp. Normally, the cell development cycle is about a month and occurs unnoticed by humans. With dandruff, it decreases to a week, and then exfoliating scales are clearly visible on hair and clothing. Dandruff, the causes and treatment of which will be considered in the article, is an early sign and the mildest clinical form of seborrheic dermatitis.
Symptoms and types of dandruff
It is difficult not to notice this pathology. Light dry scales of white or grayish color easily crumble from the scalp, contaminate hair, hairbrush, clothes. Hair can become dull, greasy quickly, thin out. Quite often, with dandruff of a person, itching of the scalp is disturbing, but inflammatory processes, as a rule, are absent.
Against the background of hypersecretion of the large sebaceous glands, which are quite numerous in such an area as the scalp, dandruff can become oily. The exfoliated particles of the epidermis are combined into fairly large yellowish flakes. They are greasy, can hardly separate from the surface of the skin, and can form layers. Hair very quickly becomes dirty, weaken, begin to split and fall out.
Dandruff is a fairly common problem. In some people, this pathology becomes chronic, others suffer from it only from time to time. One way or another, but every person has encountered this phenomenon at least once in a lifetime. Attempts to get rid of the problem will not be effective if you do not find the answer to the question: "What dandruff came from?"
Fungus is the main cause of dandruff
Most people perceive the appearance of dandruff solely as a cosmetic problem. Indeed, its presence is a little aesthetic and can spoil any outfit and hairstyle. However, the occurrence of dandruff primarily indicates the presence of violations in the body, although it is not an independent disease. The assumption that the main culprit in the appearance of dandruff is the fungal infection Pityrosporum ovale, was put forward about a hundred years ago. Dermatologists adhere to the same opinion at the present time.
The reasons for the active reproduction of the fungus
It is interesting that the notorious microorganism is a representative of normal human microflora and can inhabit the scalp for a long time and not cause dandruff. The problem arises when the protective properties of the skin are reduced, the composition of sebum changes and conditions are created for the uncontrolled reproduction of the fungus. And this happens under the influence of a number of factors, among which:
- metabolic disorder ;
- hormonal imbalance;
- some diseases, and, as a result, a decrease in immunity;
- overstrain, both physical and emotional;
- malnutrition, hypovitaminosis;
- mistakes in hair and scalp care: the use of aggressive chemicals, drying with a hairdryer, hypothermia as a result of neglecting headgear in winter;
- hereditary predisposition.
Most often, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of what dandruff came from. Any of the listed reasons, and sometimes their complex, can provoke its occurrence. An additional factor is age. In children, dandruff almost never happens, and in adolescents, it can be a transient phenomenon. There is a certain dependence of gender and the frequency of occurrence of this pathology. So, in men, dandruff appears more often than in women. In the autumn-winter period, the problem tends to escalate.
Dandruff Treatment: Changes in Lifestyle
To understand what dandruff came from, sometimes it’s enough to analyze your own menu and daily routine. Perhaps the nutrition system should be corrected by limiting the consumption of fatty, spicy and fried foods, alcohol and sweets. It is necessary to use a sufficient amount of foods rich in fiber, vitamins A and group B, fermented milk products. The normalization of the drinking regime is important.
The absence of physical overload, stress, sufficient time for sleep and rest will necessarily have a positive effect on the state of the body as a whole and the scalp in particular.
Proper scalp and hair care
If dandruff appears, it is worthwhile at least for the duration of treatment to exclude aggressive hairdressing procedures: dyeing, perming, blow-drying, the use of varnish and hair gel. You can temporarily replace chemical hair dyes with natural ones: henna and basma, walnut shells. If desired, styling products can be used natural, based on flax seeds, gelatin, egg white, sugar.
Special attention should be paid to the issue of hygiene. It is recommended to use combs made of natural wood and regularly replace them with new ones.
Dandruff Remedies
It is logical that it is easiest to provide a direct effect on the hair and scalp using shampoos, masks and lotions. It is not so important what dandruff came from: effective agents should always have an antifungal component in their composition. Even if the fungus is not the root cause of dandruff, then most often it joins a complex of problems later. In addition, it is good if the product has regenerative and bactericidal properties, and also regulates the sebaceous glands. In this case, the impact will be complex.
Every cosmetic store has a wide selection of dandruff shampoos. Customer reviews about them are different: for some, such tools helped to get rid of the problem once and for all, while others were disappointed. But, as practice shows, special medical dermatological shampoos are more effective. And the composition of such funds, which can be purchased exclusively in a pharmacy, is much more natural.
Active anti-dandruff ingredients
Most often, ketoconazole, zinc pyrithione, selenium disulfide, cyclopirox, bifonazole, klimbazole act as antifungal components in the remedies for dandruff. Tar, sulfur, salicylic acid have a pronounced exfoliating effect. These substances well clean the scalp from skin flakes. Octopyrox, tar, ichthyol slow down the accelerated vital activity of cells. Most of these components have anti-inflammatory effects, normalize the activity of the sebaceous glands. It is better when the composition of the drug includes not one but several active ingredients, and additionally they contain natural additives: extracts of herbs (nettle, burdock, chamomile) and essential oils (lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus). Sometimes such ingredients alone can defeat itching and dandruff.
Features of the use of therapeutic dandruff shampoos
All the nuances of using this or that anti-dandruff remedy are indicated in the attached instructions. There are some common points. As a rule, in order for the active substance in the shampoo to work as efficiently as possible, it is recommended to keep it on the scalp for a while, while doing a light massage. Medicines for washing hair most often almost do not foam. This indicates their useful composition.
Dandruff shampoos in the first month of use should be used at least twice a week, and later, for prevention, twice a month. You can alternate a pharmacy with a suitable shampoo from the cosmetic series.
There are many therapeutic dermatological shampoos for different tastes and purses: Nizoral, Friderm, Fitoval, Sebazol, Dermazol, Keto Plus, Sulsena, Sebrox, Vichy. Well, there are cosmetics in almost every line of shampoos of most brands known to the mass buyer. If dandruff has appeared, the causes and treatment of it are an individual issue. In the absence of the opportunity to consult with a trichologist, it will be necessary to select a treatment shampoo by trial and error.
Folk remedies
Many recipes are offered by traditional medicine to those who are faced with such a nuisance as dandruff. What to do to people who are disappointed in pharmaceuticals or fearing side effects? Choose a recipe for your liking and try, since there are many of them, and they differ in simplicity and accessibility.
Herbal medicine offers the use of decoctions and infusions from herbs: burdock root, nettle, tansy, chamomile, calendula, coltsfoot, oak bark. They can both rinse the head after washing, and rub into the scalp.
Oil masks are often offered as effective folk remedies for dandruff. Olive or castor oil can be used alone, or in combination with lemon juice. Of course, after half an hour of exposure to such a mask, the hair must be washed with shampoo.
Another interesting recipe: take a chicken egg, add a tablespoon of vodka and kefir and rub into the scalp. Wash off after half an hour. You can combine an egg with natural honey.
It is worth trying to do a peeling of the scalp with fine salt before washing. It is claimed that this is one of the most effective methods of getting rid of dandruff. But with salt, you should be careful if there are foci of inflammation on the scalp.
So, we must remember that such a seemingly harmless problem as dandruff should not be ignored, if only because there is a certain discord in the body. Running dandruff not only spoils the appearance, but can also lead to more serious consequences, up to baldness.