Dandruff

What is dandruff? 

Dandruff is a skin condition that causes white or yellow skin flakes on your scalp. It may be itchy and spread to your hairline, eyebrows, and behind your ears. Dandruff is a milder form of seborrheic dermatitis that happens just on your head. 

What Causes Dandruff?

It’s a mix of several different factors. Some factors that may play a role include:

• Overgrowth of a type of yeast called Malassezia: It’s normal to have this yeast on your skin, but if it grows out of control, it may trigger a flare of seborrheic dermatitis or dandruff. These yeast feed on the oil in your skin, so if your skin is oily, it can cause an overgrowth.
• Irritated, oily, or dry skin: Dry skin can trigger your skin to overproduce oil. This may start a cycle of continuous irritation that leads to dandruff.
• Inflammatory reactions: For instance, you may have a reaction to ingredients in your hair care products.
• Family history of dermatitis:  It is inflammation, irritation, and swelling in your skin. This could be due to eczema (or atopic dermatitis), an allergy or reaction to certain chemicals (contact dermatitis), or seborrheic dermatitis. 
• Other skin conditions: such as psoriasis or eczema, which cause irritated skin.
• An increased level of androgen hormones: Higher androgen levels can make your skin produce more oil. Your hormone levels naturally fluctuate over time, but you may make extra androgen if you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Cushing’s disease, or certain tumors on your adrenal glands.
• Washing your hair too much or not enough: How much you should wash your hair varies between individuals. You want to strike the right balance by washing enough to keep oil and dirt from building up on your scalp, but not so much that you dry your scalp out.
• Poor Hygiene: Infrequent hair washing can lead to the buildup of dead skin cells and oils on the scalp. This accumulation can cause dandruff as the excess skin cells shed and mix with the oil, forming noticeable flakes.

Types of Dandruff

• Childhood dandruff: Infants gets seborrheic dermatitis on their scalp, face, and in their diaper area. When they get it on their scalp, it’s called cradle cap. This tends to happen in their first three months of life. 

• Beard dandruff: Facial hair grows in the same areas on your face where seborrheic dermatitis flares up, such as your sideburns, around your mouth, and under your nose.

• Dry dandruff (or dry scalp): You may get flaking and itching of the skin on your scalp because you’ve lost too much moisture or oil on your skin. 

• Oily dandruff: This is true dandruff that’s caused by too much oil on your scalp and an overgrowth of Malassezia yeast. Shampooing two to three times per week can reduce the amount of oil on your scalp and slow the growth of the yeast.

Symptoms of Dandruff:
The symptoms of dandruff include:

• Off-white or yellow flakes of skin on your scalp. You may notice them mixed in with your hair or falling to your neck and shoulders when you scratch.
•  Itchy scalp.
•  Flakes of skin on your eyebrows, beard, mustache, or behind your ears.
•  In infants with cradle cap, it may appear as scaly, crusty, or greasy scales on their head.

What are the complications of dandruff?

• The main complication of dandruff is a potential bacterial infection. Dandruff can be itchy, and you may open your skin when you scratch. You may get an infection when bacteria on your scalp gets into your scratches.

How to prevent dandruff?

• Avoid scratching your scalp. This can help prevent the cycle of irritation and inflammation that leads to dandruff or makes it worse.
• Find the right shampoo and wash your hair on the right schedule. Wash your hair often enough to keep oil from building up, but not so often that you dry out your scalp and hair or irritate your skin.
•  Use a mild shampoo without harsh detergents.
• Reduce and manage your stress levels. Stress can trigger a flare of dandruff.
• Give yourself a scalp massage. This can increase circulation in your scalp and reduce inflammation. 
• Practice a healthy lifestyle by eating a healthy diet with plenty of zinc, B vitamins, and healthy fats. 
• Get a good-quality sleep.
• Avoid using too many styling products on your hair. Styling products can build up on your scalp, which may irritate your skin.

How homeopathy can help in dandruff?

Homeopathic medicines help infighting dandruff causing fungus and prevention of it by boosting immune system, furthermore, homeopathic medicines help to improve skin health, reduce dryness and reduce sensitivity to various allergens to prevent dandruff, also homeopathic medicines help in management of hormonal imbalance to prevent androgen induced dandruff. Homeopathy treats a patient as an individual. Homeopathic medicine is decided after considering all the physical and mental traits of an individual. Here are some of the medicines for dandruff:

• Thuja Occidentalis
• Natrum Muriaticum
• Kali Sulph
• Graphites
• Sanicula

Though the above medicines are commonly used in the treatment of dandruff, it is essential to consult a qualified homeopath. Homeopathic medicines are prescribed after a thorough consultation, which includes a detailed assessment of the patient’s medical history, family history, past illnesses, and overall temperament. For the best results, please seek guidance from an experienced expert.

Why choose Cosmic Homeo Healing Centre ?

At Cosmic Homeo Healing Centre, under the able guidance of Dr. Mahavrat Patel, our team of qualified homeopaths have helped many patients suffering from dandruff. For more details, feel free to contact us.