Dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis can not be called a disease. This is a syndrome that accompanies these or other disturbances in the human body. White flakes on the hair not only spoil the appearance, but are an alarm bell.
Dandruff and skin microflora
On the human skin there is a fungus Pityrosporum ovale, which is classified as a conditionally pathogenic flora. Its normal amount is 45% of the total number of microorganisms on the scalp. If the number of Pityrosporum ovale exceeds this number, dandruff appears. The fungus "feeds on" the secret that secrete the sebaceous glands - if their normal functions are disturbed, the composition of the skin fat changes, which gives a boost to the rapid growth of the Pityrosporum ovale population.
The mechanism of dandruff
The upper layer of the epidermis is called horny - it consists of dead cells, which are permanently exfoliated. From the layers below (shiny, granular, spiny and basal), new cells enter the horny. A healthy person takes about a month to fully update them.
Sick cells affected by a fungus do not have time to go through a complete cycle of death, because they exfoliate, not completely losing their moisture and keratinizing. That is why they do not imperceptibly crumble, but stick together, forming white flakes on the scalp.
Kinds of dandruff
- Dry dandruff occurs when there is insufficient secretion and usually accompanies "dry seborrhea". Dead skin particles are abundantly showered, and hair becomes dull and brittle. With dry dandruff, itching often occurs.
- Fat dandruff - occurs with increased fat separation. Dead cells coalesce with each other, clogging the pores and creating a favorable environment for the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms. White "flakes" do not crumble as much as with dry dandruff. Hair becomes weak, abundantly drop out.
What does dandruff say?
The appearance of dandruff can signal about:
- poor-quality hair cosmetics and aggressive styling (you should change the shampoo and refuse ironing, tongs, hair dryer);
- hard water (it is necessary to use filtered or soft artesian water for washing hair).
These causes of dandruff are due to external factors. Internal factors include:
- diseases of the endocrine system;
- hormonal disbalance;
- lack of vitamins A, group B;
- disruption of the bowels (constipation);
- stress, nerve strain;
- hereditary predisposition.
Treatment of hair from dandruff
To get rid of dandruff will help only a systematic approach. First of all, you need to exclude external factors - that is, improve hair care, change cosmetics, refuse aggressive styling, purchase a therapeutic shampoo for dandruff (preferably if trichologist appoints it).
If dandruff on the head does not go away, its causes can be covered in internal factors. It is worth analyzing your diet, the work of the digestive tract, the frequency of emptying the intestine. It is necessary to include in the menu products rich in vitamins A and B (eggs, fish, meat, offal, milk, cereals, bran, yeast, spinach, broccoli, etc.). Food that is rich in easily digestible carbohydrates (potato sweets, flour products) from the diet is better to exclude, as well as coffee, cocoa, alcohol.
Dandruff and hormones
If dandruff has appeared
Often, severe dandruff appears during pregnancy - the reasons are again covered in a sharp jump in hormones. Treatment in this case should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor, since conventional methods (taking vitamins, changing cosmetics) can harm a baby.