Dandruff is due to the excessive shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp. The skin itself sheds every twenty-four days. Dandruff can happen at any age but is most commonly found in people between the ages of 12 and 80. Mild cases may need nothing more than daily shampooing with a gentle cleanser. And stubborn flakes often respond to medicated shampoos. A yeast-like fungus that may cause or aggravate dandruff, a discovery that may lead to better treatments and even to a whole new wardrobe. Dandruff is an itchy, annoying and persistent skin disorder of the scalp. Some people, however, either chronically or as a result of certain triggers, experience an unusually large amount of flaking, which can also be accompanied by redness and irritation. In the past ten years dandruff problems in the United States have become more serious and more frequent. As it is normal for skin cells to die and flake off, a small amount of flaking is normal and in fact quite common. Most cases of dandruff can be treated with specialized shampoos or common household remedies.

Dandruff is a shedding of the skin on the scalp that leads to white flakes on the head, neck, and shoulders. It is a natural and harmless scalp condition in which the shedding of dead skin cells occurs at an unusually fast rate. Because of the oily skin often associated with this condition, these cells clump together and flake off as dandruff. The skin of the scalp has many layers. Dandruff and dark color shirt can never find a place together, because it looks really bad when someone brushes off the white flakes off your attire. At the initial level, dandruff might not seem like a big problem but at later stages it can become troublesome, when you'll find that your skin is getting affected. Seborrheic dermatitis is a common skin disorder that can be easily treated.

Dandruff appears as scaling on the scalp without redness. Seborrhea is oiliness of the skin, especially of the scalp and face, without redness or scaling. Patients with seborrhea may later get seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis has both redness and scaling.

Causes of Dandruff

The main causes of dandruff are impairment of general health, development of a toxic condition mainly due to taking of wrong foods, constipation, and a low vitality due to infectious diseases. Another cause is caused by micro-organism called pityrosporum-ovle which is present in every body's scalp. Dandruff is usually a result of too much oiliness of the skin and scalp rather than dryness. While it is caused by build up of dead skin, in many more severe cases a yeast-like germ aggravates it. While this germ is normally present on everyone's scalp, it can produce some irritation if it grows heavily. Hormones may also be another important cause, because dandruff usually starts after puberty and is more common in men than women. For unknown reasons, people with some illnesses, such as Parkinson's disease, are more likely to have dandruff.

Symptoms of Dandruff

The most common symptom of dandruff is itching and excessive flaking of the scalp. Your scalp can be either excessively dry or oily. Severe cases may complain of dandruff scales appearing like lumps or crusts on the scalp. Dandruff is linked to impaired general well being and health, improper diet, constipation and low immune system functioning due to development of toxic conditions or infectious diseases. Other probable causes of dandruff include emotional tension, harsh shampoos, general exhaustion and over-exposure to cold and heat conditions.