What Causes Dandruff?
The symptoms of dandruff include intense itching and flaking of the scalp and eyebrows, which may be embarrassing and result in a less than tidy appearance. The causes of dandruff include certain personal behaviors, chronic skin conditions and temporary problems of the scalp, which can be treated with home remedies as well as medical skin care products. Consider this information from the Mayo Clinic about the causes of dandruff.
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Dry Skin
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Dry skin can result from a lack of humidity in the air, especially during the winter, and is the most common cause of dandruff.
Infrequent Shampooing
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Infrequent shampooing, especially in people with oily hair, may cause dead skin to accumulate and flake off as dandruff.
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Excessive Styling
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People who use multiple hair styling products such as sprays, gels and leave-in conditioners may develop skin irritations and dandruff from the buildup of product residues.
Contact Dermatitis
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Reactions to fragrances, dyes or other chemicals in hair care products may cause contact dermatitis, which is a skin condition that can cause inflamed, flaky or itchy skin.
Seborrheic Dermatitis
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Dandruff may be caused by seborrheic dermatitis, which includes symptoms such as oily skin that looks red and develops thick yellow scales.
Psoriasis
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Psoriasis may cause chronic dandruff on the scalp that may look like thick silver scales that are made up of dead skin.
Malassezia
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Malassezia is a fungal infection of the hair follicles that causes skin on the scalp to overgrow, resulting in clumps of skin that fall off as dandruff.
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