DOES THIS MAKE YOU ITCH ?
Aly Bin Alias Stephen Nah
Hair Transplant Doctor | ISHRS Member | Entrepreneurship Mentor | Podcaster
WE ALL "KNOW" WHAT DANDRUFF IS....
....but what is it really?
When I ran a poll recently asking LinkedIn what do they think causes dandruff, the most common answer came back as they thought it was some sort of scalp bacteria.
THIS IS THE POWER OF ASSUMPTIVE MISINFORMATION
So here is the breakdown of answers:
What Is Dandruff Actually?
Dandruff is those white flakes that causes some form of social embarrassment when it is seen contrasting against the dark tone of your hair. It gets worse when they start to become "snow flakes" that sugar dust against the dark fabrics of your clothes.
It is actually just an excessive amount of dead skin that is shedding off at an accelerated rate. This of the excessive skin in a person with eczema. It's a fairly common sight on the elbows and knees. When it is on the scalp, it is just given a commercial name called "dandruff"
What About The Scalp Bacteria That We Read?
I acknowledge there is such a thing called Demodex follicurum. And it looks like some creature from the movie Dune or if you have a great imagination like me it would be a love child of a cat-fish and an earth worm.
However, the occurrence of demodex being a cause of flaky scalp is very rare. These are common bacteria that may reside on the skin surface of your scalp and face. On a normal health person, these bacteria does not cause any problem. However in a person who is immuno-suppressed, or under severe stress then demodex can cause some problems.
You can read more (if you want to be all scientific) at this link about Demodex: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3884930/
verdict: Bacteria is not a cause (not a common one anyway) of dandruff. Debunking 67% of assumptions.
Is Dandruff Contagious?
With only 2% of respondents saying yes to this.... The answer is NO. Dandruff is not a contagious condition. Or at least if you touched your partner with dandruff, you will not be prone to contracting dandruff suddenly.
Dandruff can be caused by an excessive fungal growth (known as Malassezia) but it is usually confined to your own skin. It's hardly going to be contagious to another person. The most common cause for excess growth of fungus is, damp or improperly dry hair, high sugar intake, excessive cleaning agents, and stress.
verdict: Dandruff is NOT contagious.
Does Excessive Styling Product Cause Dandruff
While it is highly believed to be such, in truth it is NOT.
Styling products such as gel, hair sprays, wax, pomade, and even oil can cause build-up and appear to be flake like, especially if you brush or comb your hair after the styling products have been set. This is not a true dandruff, but just dried products being scrapped off the surface of your hair.
To avoid this flake like phenomenon, just wet your hair with water and re-style and let it set back.
However, cleansing products such as shampoo, can potentially cause dandruff. This is especially true if the chemicals used cause micro-inflammation of your skin resulting in redness, and dryness of the skin from excessive chemical exposure. Just imagine a soap that is so powerful that it removed all traces of moisturising oil or water from your skin, thus causing dryness and flakiness, which is seen as dandruff.
verdict: Styling products do not cause dandruff. Excessive use of cleansing products can cause dandruff!
Does Gender Make A Difference To Dandruff?
Surprise surprise!!! Being a guy makes you more PRONE to getting dandruff. Basically it boils down to hormonal difference causing difference in sebum production and skin shedding speed. Not to mention the fact that generally men do spend less time and care on scalp health.
verdict: Men are more prone to developing dandruff!
Take Home Message
Dandruff is a common problem however the misinformation and assumptions in general are still very high amongst the public. Being a male or using excessive cleansing product for the hair and scalp is probably the single most important factor in development and persistence of dandruff.
-Dr Aly
At?Hair Transplant Solutions (HTS) Clinic, we provide you with a safe space to consult with our medical doctors in restoring your confidence through hair. Speak to us (even on whatsapp here) to start your hair restoration journey with HTS today!?
100 Most Inspirational Icon on Linkedin Malaysia 2020 | Growing Companies Exponentially Through Proven Training | Inspired 400,000 Individuals from 5,000 Organizations | Corporate Training | HRDF Training Provider | HRTV
2 年Omg so true, the most pleasurable sensation is scratching an itch, especially on our head ?? But it also means we should start worrying if we scratch too much. Anyway great article and explanations Aly Alias Stephen Nah
Pre-planning consultant and Team Builder of Nirvana Asia | Olylife’s PEMF Therapy Sharer | BNI United | 42km marathon finisher | US Mechanical Engineer Degree holder | Mountain KK top climber | A Sandakian base in KL
2 年Oh you are right about the sensation when you can scratch the itch, that’s why there is a torture method that’s itch the all tied up person, so dandruff can torture people too.
Your Image Is Your Branding. Your Branding Is My Commitment. Speaker, Coach, Author on Image BrandingI
2 年I know that itch ! I know that irresistible urge to scratch ! Does dandruff cause itch too?
?? Leadership Coach ?? Creator of Magnetic Upline ?? Magnetic Leadership Newsletters ?? I write and share about magnetic leadership, marketing and personal development.
2 年You must be a fast reader to mention that this is a 2min read when LinkedIn says that it's a 3 min read. ?? Ah... now I know it's not caused by bacteria. So generally, male and/or those who use excessive cleaning products have higher risk of getting dandruff. Does this apply to bald men too? Dr Aly Alias Stephen Nah
Belief & Values Change Specialist | Certified NLP Trainer, Hypnotherapy Master Trainer, NLP Coach Trainer, Timeline Therapy Trainer at Asia Mind Dynamics (673714-T)
2 年Aly Alias Stephen Nah This is one well-written article, full of wisdom, and delivered with humor. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you for dispelling some myths about dandruff. I hope that this becomes wide-spread information because truly, some people are embarrassed by it.