| Dandruff, it’s diagnosis & the treatment
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What is Dandruff?
Dandruff is a common problem among people. When aggravated & scratched, the skin of the head falls on the shoulders, behind ears, nose, chest & neck in the form of dry flakes of the scalp. Many people view it as a social nuisance and an embarrassing situation to be in, especially at large gatherings. Therefore, most people having dandruff issues avoid wearing dark colored clothes at social outings.
Why does it happen?
Mostly, dandruff is the result of the peeling of the dead skin cells from the scalp, but dandruff which falls in excessive proportions is the result of the recently peeled off skin cells not being completely dead. The dirt, toxins which accumulate regularly at the root of hair & the scalp caused by the pollution and also by the usage of different hair related products also breeds & encourages dandruff. Dandruff is often mistaken with dried shampoo. Usually this happens when the hair is not cleansed properly and traces of shampoo dry up at the root of the scalp. The symptoms of dandruff are severe itching & excessive peeling of the scalp. Dandruff is diagnosed by having a look at the hair & its scalp. Many doctors believe that the causes of dandruff have been credited to a lot of other factors like a non-rich diet, a prolonged illness, stress & the usage of various hair styling products. But these may be only theories, majority of dermatologist believe that regular shampooing with an anti-fungal product can lessen the occurrence of dandruff. There are other major causes as well, like the excess of oil secreted by skin oil, also known as sebum, fungus & yeast which are present on some parts of the skin surface. Since dandruff is a natural & repetitive process, it cannot be erased completely, it can only be controlled.
How to prevent it?
Dandruff shampoos often helps to remove the excess build up of scalp flakes & also minimize the oiliness in the hair. Hence, its treatment is an on-going process. One must have loads of patience & perseverance in dealing with it. Sometimes, if there are symptoms of too much redness, swelling or if the flakes are covered with a sticky liquid or if there is a wound & there is a hard covering of blood around it, chances are that it could be another scalp disease which needs immediate attention. If the itching in the scalp still persists and if there are signs of redness & irritation, its time to schedule an appointment with your dermatologist. If chemical present in these anti-dandruff shampoos is causing more harm than good, then they can opt for natural treatment or home made remedies. Many herbal shampoos available in the market are capable of arresting the growth of dry flakes. The most common one for dandruff is applying freshly extracted lemon juice evenly all over the scalp. One needs to curtail the intake of foods containing yeasts. Also, the diet should include fresh fish, soybeans etc. as it contains the essential fatty acids which are required for a good overall health, likewise, fish is also a rich source of zinc which helps in keeping our immune system in great shape.
More Tips
Keeping your hair clean daily would be helpful, especially in situations where you can’t rinse your hair with shampoo daily. When you want to try a dandruff shampoo, use it continuously. If at all, it is helpful in controlling the dandruff, continue using it, otherwise, keep on trying some other medical shampoo for dandruff which is far more effective. Consistently hanging on to this trial & error method of changing your anti-dandruff shampoo till one reaches utmost results, is the first & most important part in curbing it. Efforts are required to control dandruff. One should remember that whatever shampoo one uses, one should not cease to use it, else the dandruff will return. There are a variety of OTC dandruff shampoos which one can try & keep on using it, but if the symptoms of dandruff fail to lessen, they should consult their health care doctor immediately. Anyways, the popular ones are Head & Shoulders, Clinic All Clear, Nizoral, and Neutrogena T/Gel etc. There are creams & gels too which are anti-dandruff & anti-fungal.
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