Dandruff on the head: what causes it and how to get rid of it?

What causes dandruff

There are several factors that can determine the formation of dandruff. This does not mean at all that if they are present, a person will necessarily develop dandruff, but they can “push” the process.

When a person is predisposed to dandruff:

• heredity - if relatives suffered from this disease;
• excessive work of the sebaceous glands and excessive secretion of sebum;
• diseases of the nervous system, such as paresis or Parkinson's disease;
• taking certain medications;
• severe stress and emotional overload;
• gastrointestinal diseases, dysbiosis, enzyme imbalance;
• avitaminosis;
• endocrine diseases, such as diabetes or Cushing's disease;
• improper hair care, use of inappropriate products and styling methods.

In some cases, dandruff may be the first manifestation of a skin disease - seborrheic dermatitis.

Causes

Unfortunately, trichologists have not yet come to a consensus on what causes this disease. Some consider the main cause of the disease to be a lack of sebum, which disrupts the process of cell regeneration. Other doctors believe that the fungus Pityrosporumovale actively multiplies against the background of reduced immunity.

Reasons also include destructive factors such as:

• metabolic disorder;
• dermatosis;
• hormonal disbalance;
• gastrointestinal diseases;
• climate change;
• avitaminosis;
• taking antibiotics;
• stress, prolonged nervous tension.

Dry dandruff often results from the wrong selection of cosmetics. The wrong shampoo dries out the scalp, causing an unpleasant “snowfall”. Too hard water can also cause problems.

Why does dandruff appear in children?

Not only adults, but also children of different ages suffer from dandruff. In infants, this is due to insufficient development of the sebaceous glands. Sometimes it appears during breastfeeding in the form of an allergy to foods consumed by the mother. It can also appear due to the wrong bathing product or shampoo.

Dandruff is also common in teenagers. This is explained by the fact that during puberty, the sebaceous glands work in an enhanced mode and produce too much sebum.

Life after solving a problem

After treatment in a beauty salon, the itching disappears, the skin stops flaking, and the hair takes on a healthy and well-groomed appearance. To prevent the problem from returning, SM-Cosmetology specialists advise:

• remove fried, fatty and smoked foods from the diet, limit the share of simple carbohydrates in the daily menu;
• establish sleep and wakefulness patterns;
• give up bad habits - drinking alcohol and smoking;
• When washing your hair, use warm water. Hot stimulates the production of sebum, and too cold - spasms blood vessels, impairs the process of supplying the skin with oxygen and nutritional components.

Getting rid of dandruff on your own is a difficult task. The help of a specialist will be required at least at the stage of determining the cause of the disease. In addition, the doctor will help you choose an effective complex therapy regimen and give recommendations regarding the prevention of seborrhea.

If long-term self-medication is not part of your plans, and you want to quickly solve the problem without the risk of complications, contact a dermatologist at the SM-Cosmetology clinic. To schedule an initial consultation, please call.
—>

How does dandruff appear?

This syndrome has its own symptoms:

• greasy shine of the scalp and hair;
• peeling and a large number of skin flakes on the hair;
• constant itching;
• hair loss;
• sometimes – red spots on the scalp.

Skin flakes stick to the hair at the base. They are thin, almost transparent, white, grayish or yellowish. They can accumulate on any part of the head, and are distributed unevenly - somewhere more, somewhere less. If your hair is collected in a braid or bun, there is usually the most dandruff under it in this place. When combing or even just moving the head, the scales fall off.

Diagnosis of the problem in the clinic

Before you begin treating dandruff, you need to determine its causes. All questions can be accurately answered only after a detailed diagnosis.

At the initial examination, the SM-Cosmetology doctor determines the size and nature of the scales, examines the scalp to assess color changes, the presence of plaques and scratches. In addition to a visual examination, the doctor refers the patient to a biochemical blood test, the results of which will allow us to look at the problem more broadly and, possibly, identify hidden causes.

If there is any doubt about the diagnosis, a histological examination of a skin biopsy is indicated, in which biological material is taken from the affected area and examined under a microscope.

Why does dandruff occur?

As mentioned above, this is the result of fungal activity. It parasitizes on fatty environments. The fungus produces lipases and phospholipases to break down sebum and produce the fatty acids it needs to live. The fungus also produces extracellular proteins that enter the skin and lead to the formation of dandruff.

Under normal conditions, epidermal cells live 25–30 days. When pathology occurs, their physiological cycle is shortened to 5–14 days. In such a short period of time, cells cannot normally go through the entire development cycle, do not lose moisture, and therefore stick together. They do not peel off individually, as they should normally, but in flakes. This is dandruff.

Treatment of an advanced case

In severe cases of dry seborrhea (when the shoulders are regularly strewn with white flakes of dead skin), treatment with 10% sulfur ointment is suggested.

Here are the main steps of the procedure:

• From the first to the eighth day of treatment, the ointment should be rubbed into the scalp daily. To do this, divide your hair into thin strands and apply the substance along the partings, rubbing it into each part for at least 4 minutes.
• On the ninth, give your hair a rest: don’t make masks, don’t go to the shower, don’t use ointment.
• On the tenth day of treatment, rinse your hair with clean, freshly boiled water and a specialized shampoo for dry dandruff.
• From days 11 to 14 of treatment, treat the scalp with a solution of boric acid (2 teaspoons of acid per 150 grams of hot water). Rub the liquid into the roots of your hair before going to bed, wrap wet hair in a scarf and leave overnight.
• Then there is a seven-day rest from the procedure and the entire treatment is repeated. Ideally, you need to do it 3 times.

Types of dandruff

There are three varieties:

1. Fat. It appears when there is an excess of sebum, which covers the skin and hair, causing them to become greasy and acquire a characteristic shine. Oily seborrhea can be thick or thin. When thick, skin scales stick to each other and cover the scalp, on which comedones appear - blackheads in which sebaceous mass accumulates. With liquid dandruff, the pores on the scalp expand, creating an “orange peel” effect.
2. Dry. This form occurs when not enough sebum is produced because it is too viscous. When the hair becomes too dry, it becomes brittle and thin. Dandruff flakes come off easily.
3. Mixed . At the same time, there are signs of both dry and oily seborrhea in different areas.

Mixed seborrhea

Mixed seborrhea has characteristics of dry and oily varieties. In particular, patients note that the skin on the face in the middle part is oily, and on the cheeks it is dry. Especially a lot of fat is released in the areas of the crown, chin, forehead, and nose. In other places the fat content is moderate or insufficient.

Doctors also note that a person may be bothered by dry dandruff and oily skin on the face.

Symptoms of mixed seborrhea:

• inflammatory process on the cheeks, scalp, chin, forehead, chest, nose;
• in the area of ​​inflammation, the skin becomes rough;
• redness, itching;
• increased secretion of sebum on the forehead, but decreased secretion in other areas of the face;
• peeling in the area of ​​increased activity of fat-secreting glands, yellowish or gray scales;
• peeling of dry areas of skin.

All the factors listed above as causes of other types of the disease can provoke mixed seborrhea. Most often the problem is associated with hormonal changes or disruptions. Heredity plays an important role. Stress and anxiety can also contribute to the growth of fungi.

Is dandruff a consequence of improper care?

Contrary to popular belief, dandruff is not only the result of infrequent hair washing. Poor hygiene can make dandruff worse. It often appears due to the fact that when using styling products, they are not completely washed off from the hair and scalp. The skin is not cleaned properly. Particles of styling products block the sebaceous glands and the balance is disrupted. This leads to the appearance of dandruff on the head.

Excessive hair care can also cause dandruff. If the shampoo is aggressive or simply not suitable for the hair, the skin will dry out, which can also lead to dandruff.

Another problem can arise when you eat in the cold, neglect hats, or, conversely, overheat your head, for example, on the beach, in a solarium, or in a bathhouse. Everything needs moderation.

The structure of the skin and its appendages

Skin is a part of the body that performs many functions:

1. Protective. A function that protects the body from harmful influences - chemical, mechanical, hypothermia and overheating, etc.
2. Respiratory. The surface of the skin makes 2% of the total “breathing” of the entire human body.
3. Regulatory. Mineral and water balances, thermoregulation (due to sweating) are carried out by this function.

The skin consists of three components:

1. Epidermis is the outer layer.
2. The dermis, that is, the skin itself, is an intermediate layer (connective tissue). The dermis is the support for blood vessels, nerves and skin appendages.
3. The hypodermis is the layer that lies deeper than the others.

Hair, sebaceous, sweat glands are skin appendages on the head.

Epidermis

Several layers make up the epidermis. Cells originate in the basal layer, some of them continuously move towards the stratum corneum, changing their appearance along the way and, at the final stage, losing their nucleus. By the end of the movement, these cells become keratinized, nuclear-free scales that form the stratum corneum.

These scales are constantly replaced by others that rise from the basal layer. This is how skin regeneration or renewal occurs. Melanin, which determines the color of hair and skin, is produced by cells located in the cuticle. And the immune system of the skin is macrophages.

Dermis

A set of bundles of connective tissue and elastic fibers, which is the dermis, helps maintain the shape of the skin, that is, stretch and contract without visible changes.

Here are located:

• nerves;
• hair follicles;
• vessels;
• sweat and sebaceous glands.

Sweat creates comfortable thermoregulation and removes dangerous substances from the body. The sebaceous glands have an equally important function. They produce sebum, which protects against hypothermia and drying out, and prevents the dermis from cracking.

Hypodermis

The layer that is located deeper than the others. This is where blood vessels and nerve trunks are located. The thickness of the hypodermis on the head is about 2 mm.

Why is dandruff dangerous?

Dandruff itself is not a disease. But if the reasons for its appearance are not dealt with and treated, it can lead to complications. Under certain factors, it can develop into sebopsoriasis. This is a skin condition that precedes psoriasis. With it, not only the scalp flakes, the peeling also spreads to the eyebrows and the whole body.

If dandruff persists for a long time, it develops into seborrheic dermatitis. This is a chronic inflammatory disease that requires serious treatment.

If dandruff is left untreated, the flakes will block the supply of oxygen to the hair follicles. Because of this, the hair becomes thin and weak, splits, and falls out. In advanced cases, the hair follicles die and there is a risk of baldness.

Dandruff is accompanied by itching. If you constantly scratch your head, you can introduce staphylococci or streptococci into the scratches, which leads to furunculosis, folliculitis, abscesses and other purulent skin diseases.

Dandruff flakes can block the ducts of the sebaceous glands. In this case, secretion will accumulate inside the duct, and a cyst will appear - atheroma. It is opened surgically.

Is dandruff contagious or not?

Trichologists answer this question as follows: seborrhea itself is not an infectious disease, but this disorder occurs due to fungal activity, and fungi (including Malassezia) are transmitted from person to person. Nevertheless, Malassezia is found in the microflora of the skin of every person, and its activity is not associated with infection, but with disruption of the sebaceous glands, which can be caused by various reasons, mainly of a non-infectious nature. [12], [13], [14]

How to treat dandruff

For treatment to be successful, it is necessary to remove scales, get rid of itching and normalize the activity of Malassezia fungi. Since dandruff occurs when the sebaceous glands do not function properly, it means that it is necessary to reduce the production of sebum. Taking this into account, effective products for the treatment of dandruff must contain components that have antifungal and sebum-regulating effects.

Products from the Sulsen series contain selenium disulfide, which suppresses the activity of yeast fungi that cause dandruff. These medications also help restore a healthy balance to the scalp. They contain natural ingredients, saturate and nourish the scalp, making it healthy and hair beautiful. The series includes various products - shampoos, peeling, cream, oil. Everyone can choose convenient hair and head care products. They are easy to use. The effect is achieved quickly, but they can also be used for preventive purposes. Sulsena will help you get rid of dandruff easily.

Treatment of dandruff on the head

There are quite a few ways to treat dandruff, here are the most popular ones:

• lubricating the scalp with moisturizing and keratolytic external agents [13];
• treatment of the scalp with ointments with anti-inflammatory effects [13];
• lubricating the scalp with ointments with antifungal and antibacterial effects [13];
• antifungal drugs that suppress the activity of Malassezia (the most effective here is ketoconazole) [14];
• traditional medicine (lotions, masks and compresses based on herbs and essential oils and others) [18];
• For women, medications that reduce the production of male hormones (isotretinoin) are also suitable if the problem is hormonal in nature [14].

The main thing is to eliminate the cause of the malfunction of the sebaceous glands, otherwise relapses will occur. If a person experiences severe nervous tension, a whole range of measures will be required: strengthening the immune system, good healthy sleep, frequent walks. Depending on what caused the appearance of dandruff, it is necessary to abandon aggressive chemicals, observe personal hygiene rules, improve nutrition, start taking vitamins or eating foods rich in vitamins, or treat diseases of internal organs.

Many people choose shampoos with ketoconazole as the main drug, since this substance effectively fights Malassezia colonies. [14] [15] Such a shampoo is “Perhotal”, which has undergone successful clinical trials in Russia. [16] “Perhotal” is available in two forms: with 2% ketoconazole for treatment and with 1% ketoconazole for the prevention of seborrhea and seborrheic dermatitis.

References:

• [1] https://www.lvrach.ru/2019/08/15437363/
• [2] https://dermatology.con-med.ru/article/223522/
• [3] https://medportal.ru/enc/dermatology/alopecia/3/
• [4] https://materinstvo.ru/pr/id2277
• [5] https://skin.ru/article/kak-gormony-vlijajut-na-kozhu-v-junosti-i-zrelosti/
• [6] https://pro-volosy.info/zhirnaya-seboreya-prichiny-i-lechenie/
• [7] https://skin.ru/article/perhot-osnovnye-prichiny/
• [8] https://biosea.fr/ru/o-produkcii/ingredienti/opasnie-ingredienti/parabeny.html
• [9] https://vkusologia.ru/dobavki/stabilizatory-emulgatory/e487.html
• [10] https://bloggoods.ru/triethanolamine-v-kosmetike/
• [11] https://apico.life/blog-ru/dea-diethanolamine-dietanolamin-2-2-iminodietanol-2-2-digidroksidietilamin-dea-vred-primeneniya-v-kosmetike/
• [12] https://doktorvolos.ru/question/kak-peredaetsja-seboreja-volosistoj-chasti-golovy/
• [13] https://med.vesti.ru/articles/zabolevaniya/lechenie-seborejnogo-dermatita-volosistoj-chasti-golovy-u-vzroslyh/
• [14] https://www.rmj.ru/articles/dermatologiya/Seboreynyy_dermatit/
• [15] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11306850
• [16] https://perhotal.ru/wp-content/uploads/research-124.pdf
• [17] https://yarpol2.ru/diagnostika/korka-na-golove-vidy-samye-chastye-prichiny-poyavleniya-i-lechenie.html
• [18] https://vashvolos.com/lechenie-perxoti-narodnymi-sredstvami

This text is not an instruction for use; it is necessary to consult a specialist.