Where Does Dandruff Come From?
First, there is dry skin and seborrheic dermatitis. The dry skin that one can get in the winter time or when a room is overheated are the most common causes of itchy and flaking skin. However, flakes from dry skin are smaller than and not as oily as the flakes caused by dandruff
Seborrheic dermatitis is seen as red, greasy skin covered with flaky yellow or white scales. This condition affects the scalp, eyebrows, the sides of the nose, and the back of the ears, the breast bone, the groin area and possibly, the armpits.
Contact dermatitis and cradle cap can also bring about excessive skin scaling. Contact dermatitis can cause a red and itchy scaling scalp. You’ll wish for a dandruff treatments if you have this. Sensitivity to some hair care products or hair dyes can cause this condition. Cradle cap or seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp causes a crusty and scaling scalp. This is common in newborns but can happen at any time during infancy. Many parents can be alarmed by this but cradle cap is not dangerous. It will clear up by the time the infant is a year old.
Psoriasis and scalp ringworm should also be looked at. Psoriasis is a skin disorder and causes an increase in dead skin cells and that can create thick scales with a silvery coloring. In serious cases, the skin cracks and bleeds, which can be very painful You will usually find psoriasis occurring on the knees, elbows, scalp, forehead and neck.
Scalp ringworm is an extremely contagious fungal infection that happens to children under the age of ten. Ringworm will begin as a red sore around the hairline. Look for a dandruff treatments if you ever get this. In a few days, the sore becomes scaly and grows outward in a ring pattern. The hair affected will usually beak off. Ringworm causes a red an inflamed scalp and hair loss.
Dandruff has been blamed on several other different things. These things include dry or oily skin, poor diet, and stress. Increased oil production, illness, infrequent shampooing and heredity are some things that can also contribute to dandruff.
Even though these things contribute to a flaky scalp, the real cause is a fungus called Malassezia. There are times when Malassezia, which is normal occurring yeast in the body, grows uncontrollably. It feeds on the natural oils secreted by the hair follicle, causes irritation of the scalp and then leads to faster cell turnover.