Hair care: What causes dandruff?

Hair care: What causes dandruff? 

Dandruff, also known as seborrhea, is a common non-contagious condition of skin areas rich in oil glands (the face, scalp, and upper trunk), marked by flaking (overproduction of skin cells) and sometimes redness and itching (inflammation) of the scalp, varying in severity from mild flaking of the scalp to scaly, red patches.

"The normal skin yeast, pityrosporum ovale, lives in oil-rich skin regions and plays a role in this condition. Dandruff may worsen with stress, winter, and infrequent shampooing", informs Dr Manjiri Patankar Puranik, founder of Instasculpt.

Dandruff occurs in 15-20% of the population. The problem affects all races. It maybe a bit worse in men, and starts after puberty (although babies have a version called cradle cap). Dandruff peaks around the age of 40 and then may improve. Severe dandruff is frequently seen in people with Parkinson's disease and others with central nervous system problems.

Dr. Manjiri points out the most common causes of dandruff:

-Poor hygiene
-Hormonal imbalance
-Poor diet
-Poor blood circulation
-Blow drying
-Styling products

Dandruff is a superficial fungal infection and can spread by sharing a comb. However, please note that it cannot spread if you simply sit next to a person who suffers from dandruff. Though, you might feel uncomfortable sitting next to a person with flakes on his/her shirt, you'll never get dandruff by merely sitting next to him/her
.