Everyone who has it would like to quickly and easily get rid of dandruff if they could, because it can be quite an embarrassing problem. Easy remedies may not be possible in chronic conditions, where white, oily, and flaky skin is usually accompanied by an irritating itch. Although not contagious, dandruff can occasionally be difficult to eliminate permanently. For most teens and adults, dandruff symptoms are easy to spot - white, oily looking flakes of dead skin that dot your hair and shoulders, and an itchy, scaling scalp. The condition may worsen during the fall and winter, when indoor heating can contribute to dry skin, and improve during the summer.
Psoriasis, eczema, malessezia, seborrheic dermatitis, and being overly sensitive to shampoos and other hair care products are all potential causes of chronic dandruff. Many people see their dandruff problems increase and be more difficult to get rid of during the winter months when they’re spending more time indoors where the air is warmer and drier.
A fairly common skin condition, seborrheic dermatitis can affect all areas of the body where there are higher concentrations of glands that produce oil, including armpits, groin areas, eyebrows, and sides of your nose. Oily, irritated skin is the most visible symptom of this. By contrast, psoriasis affects mostly knees, elbows, and body trunks, and manifests itself with silvery, raised scales.
A yeast-like fungus that lives on the scalps of most normal adults without issue, malessezia won’t cause problems for the majority of people. But it can grow out of control if the conditions are right – hair follicles secreting high levels of skin oils. This could end up further irritating the scalp, producing more dead skin cells that appear as white flakes on your clothing or in your hair, and making it that much more difficult to get rid of dandruff permanently.
There are a number of internal factors that can encourage dandruff beyond simply having an oily scalp. Male hormonal changes, neurological disorders, illnesses, an immune system that’s suppressed, and even stress are all suspected as being contributors to developing an oily, flaky scalp that’s prone to dandruff and the like. You may also find it more difficult to get rid of dandruff permanently if you’re missing B vitamins, zinc, and certain essential fats from your diet.
There are really no effective overnight cures to get rid of dandruff available today, and the types of treatments considered can vary widely. In many cases, mild dandruff can be treated with use of a gentle shampoo during more frequent hair washing to lower skin cell and oil build-up. OTC dandruff shampoos employ a wide range of external medications that work topically on the more difficult dandruff cases. Common remedies include ketoconazole, selenium sulfide, salicylic acid, zinc pyrithione, tea tree oil, and coal tar. There are, though, side effects that have been associated with the use of these agents, including burning, stinging, and other allergic reactions like breathing difficulties, hives, and rashes.
Many people find that the best long-term approach to being able to get rid of dandruff is to include both internal and external remedies. Treating only the external symptoms of dandruff – the itching, flaking skin – may provide someone with temporary relief but not much more. If any systemic causes like diet deficiencies and stress are also at work and continue to go unaddressed, permanent dandruff relief may be that much more difficult to achieve.
