Dandruff

Editor-In-Chief: Prab R Tumpati, MD
Obesity, Sleep & Internal medicine
Founder, WikiMD Wellnesspedia &
W8MD medical weight loss NYC and sleep center NYC

Dandruff
Synonyms	Pityriasis capitis
Pronounce	N/A
Specialty	N/A
Symptoms	Flaking and sometimes mild itching
Complications	Seborrheic dermatitis, hair loss
Onset	Puberty
Duration	Chronic
Types	N/A
Causes	Malassezia species, sebaceous gland activity
Risks	Oily skin, stress, hormonal changes
Diagnosis	Clinical
Differential diagnosis	Psoriasis, eczema, tinea capitis
Prevention	Regular shampooing with anti-dandruff shampoo
Treatment	Antifungal agents, keratolytic agents
Medication	Ketoconazole, selenium sulfide, zinc pyrithione
Prognosis	N/A
Frequency	Affects about 50% of adults
Deaths	N/A

Nizoral

Dandruff is a common scalp disorder affecting almost half of the population at the post-pubertal age and of any gender and ethnicity. It often causes itching. The severity of dandruff may fluctuate with season as it often worsens in winter.

Causes

Most cases of dandruff are caused by dry skin. Other causes can include not cleaning/scrubbing often enough, shampooing too often, psoriasis, eczema, sensitivity to hair care products, or a yeast-like fungus. Dry skin is the most common cause of flaking dandruff.

Symptoms

The symptoms of dandruff include white flakes of dead skin in the hair and on the shoulders, as well as an itchy, red, or scaly scalp. Dandruff flakes are generally larger than the dry skin flakes of other conditions.

Treatment

The primary treatment for dandruff is antifungal creams and shampoos. Most cases of dandruff can be easily treated with specialized shampoos. There is, however, no true cure.

See also

• Seborrhoeic dermatitis
• Psoriasis
• Head lice

External links

• Mayo Clinic - Dandruff

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