• Question: What is dandruff?

    Asked by jannynishy11 to Asif, Laura, Lena, Sean, Viv on 19 Mar 2012. This question was also asked by macklev2.
    • Photo: Lena Ciric

      Lena Ciric answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      Dandruff is basically the shedding of dead skin from your scalp. We all shed skin in this way, but for some people it can be in greater amounts and accompanied with itching and redness. This seems to be affected by the amount of oil your scalp produces and the presence of yeasts. This causes an immune response that leads to the flaking. Dandruff is treated by various shampoos which either block the immune response or kill the yeasts.

    • Photo: Sean Murphy

      Sean Murphy answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      Skin cells that grow and die off too fast are the cause of dandruff, but doctors do not know why this happens. One possible cause is a fat-eating fungus called Malassezia (formerly known has Pityrosporum ovale), which is present in most people but may contribute to dandruff. This fungus lives on the scalp of most healthy adults without causing any problems. One theory is that the immune system of dandruff sufferers may overreact to the fungus.

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