What is Dandruff ? - What Causes Dandruff?

It is obvious when you have dandruff - you find dry, white, flaky skin cells on your shoulders and sometimes your scalp itches! The answers to what is dandruff or what causes dandruff are important to understand, as understanding what it is all about makes it easier to treat or prevent.

Dandruff is probably one of the most common skin problems that affect our daily lives so it is important to understand what is dandruff and what causes dandruff?

There are two types of skin conditions that cause dandruff:

1. Pityriasis capitis - this is the most common type of dandruff. This is dry dandruff and it occurs when we shed dry, white, flaky dead skin cells. Each time our skin renews itself, it pushes the old skin cells to the surface where they fall off. So what is dandruff? This is when the scalp renews its skin cells at a much faster rate, resulting in more dead skin cells being shed. As there are many more of them, these cells are visible to the naked eye. The same thing may happen when the scalp is exposed to extreme temperatures.

2. Seborrheic dermotitis - this is a skin condition which produces yellow or white, oily skin flakes and the skin area may be red and itchy. Other than the scalp, it can also affect other areas of the body, such as the eyebrows, the skin behind or at the back of the ears, the sides of the nose and the torso. This condition may become worse during the winter and improve during the summer, as a result of sunlight, which helps ease the condition.

Dandruff is also believed to be associated with an overgrowth of the natural skin fungus or yeast,  Pityrosporum ovale. This is tends to be more so with seborrheic dermotitis.

It is important to understand the difference between these 2 types of dandruff as one is a dry condition and the other an oily, greasy condition and so they respond to different treatments.

Although it may be impossible to cure or completely prevent dandruff, it is possible to treat it with natural or home remedies, as well as over the counter shampoos and other treatments.

If the dandruff persists despite treatment or if the red and itchy skin patches affect other parts of the body, it is best to consult a doctor who may recommend a skin specialist.

Understanding "What is dandruff?" or "What causes dandruff?" is a great start to applying the right treatment.

There is a great ebook which gives lots of information on natural remedies for dandruff that helps you understand what is dandruff and how to get rid of it in natural ways.