Beauty

In order to know how to deal with dandruff, you need to understand what dandruff is and what causes it to appear. After all, white flakes on the suit are only, albeit unpleasant, but a consequence of the disease.

What is dandruff and what causes it?

Dandruff or seborrhea is a disease of the scalp, which is characterized by a high rate of skin renewal. In a healthy state, the period of cell renewal of the scalp occurs gradually and lasts 25-30 days, but in the case of seborrhea, this period is reduced to 6-7 days. In this case, the cells do not have time to go through a full cycle of «maturation» and, having stuck together with each other, peel off, and new ones already appear in their place.

There are several main causes of dandruff:

Violation of the sebaceous glands.

Depending on the general condition of the body, metabolism, gender, age and previous diseases, this can manifest itself either in an increase or decrease in the production of sebaceous secretion and a change in its chemical composition. The condition can be aggravated by an unbalanced diet, chronic diseases, lack of vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, C and D) and minerals (selenium), dehydration, abuse of sweet and fatty foods, and other reasons.

In the case when too much sebum is produced, the hair looks greasy, quickly gets dirty and sticky, and becomes covered with rare yellowish scales. In this case, the disease is called oily seborrhea.

Otherwise, when the sebaceous glands produce a small amount of secretion, the hair is usually dry, brittle, densely covered with white scales at the roots, and the disease is called dry seborrhea.

Most often, destabilization in the work of the sebaceous glands occurs during puberty, when a hormonal imbalance is observed in the body, and in the senile period, when the amount of sebum is significantly reduced.

yeast fungus

Another cause of dandruff is the activation of the yeast fungus Pityrosporum Ovale (or Malassezia Furfur). This fungus lives on the scalp all the time, but is activated during periods of increased physical or mental stress, with metabolic disorders that change the acidity of the skin. As a result of a change in pH, the fungus begins to multiply intensively and at times accelerates the renewal of scalp cells.

Now that we have found out the causes of dandruff, let’s move on to the issue of its treatment.

How to get rid of dandruff?

Before answering the question, we note: it is necessary to treat seborrhea, because a neglected case can lead to disruption of hair growth up to hair loss and the appearance of foci of baldness (in men).

There are many different ways to get rid of dandruff, but for the treatment to be effective, you need to find out the causes of the disease, and the best way to find out is to contact a specialist. A trichologist will determine the causes of the disease in your particular case, after which he will prescribe the necessary treatment.

Most often, to get rid of dandruff, it will be enough to normalize the diet and composition, and use special anti-dandruff shampoos. And only, as a last resort, you will have to resort to treatment with the help of special means.

As for nutrition, it is necessary to rely on foods rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, reduce the consumption of fatty and refined foods.

When choosing an anti-dandruff shampoo, pay attention to the components that make up the detergent:

• Olamine, climbazole zincoperionate, ketoconazole, clotrimazole, selenium bisulphate are antimicrobial.
• Tar and ichthyol normalize the cell renewal cycle.
• Sulfur will help remove flakes from the top layer of the skin.
• Salicylic acid and tar have an exfoliating effect.
• And herbal extracts will relieve skin irritation.

If at least a third of the listed components are not listed on the label, feel free to put it back on the shelf, it will not help you. Finding the right shampoo is half the battle. For the treatment to be effective, follow the instructions on the package, as different shampoos have different mechanisms of action and recommended frequency of use.

On average, dandruff treatment takes 4 to 6 weeks, so don’t expect immediate results.

And is it dandruff?

If the skin on the head is reddened and irritated, and the scales form a fairly dense crust, then this may be a manifestation of various skin diseases, and in this case it is better to immediately contact a dermatologist.

Author: Alexander Kuznetsov

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