MUMBAI: Dandruff has been around for as long as we know. It affects more than 50% of the world population and yet we don’t know if it’s simply a disease or a disorder. Medical stores and supermarkets have their shelves lined up with different brands of anti-dandruff shampoos. But they aren't enough and we can’t seem to understand how to solve the problem. It is a social embarrassment at times when dandruff makes an appearance out of your hair and onto your clothes every now and then. That’s when you dread wearing a black top or a dark coloured outfit for the fear of your dandruff showing in public.

But there are a few things that you can do to tackle the problem. First let’s get some myths into perspective.

Myth 1-You get dandruff when you have poor hygiene. Not really, Dandruff is caused mainly when the normal cycle of the skin cell turnover gets disturbed. It is also a normal physiological response of your scalp.

Myth 2-Men are more prone to dandruff than women. Yes and no. Males have a higher number of oil glands, and weaker scalp barrier function so they can get affected more. However dandruff affects certain age groups like  pre-pubertal and teenagers as they tend to have hormonal changes. 

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Myth 3- Dandruff only affects us in summer. Not true. Dandruff can even happen in winter as we tend to shampoo out hair less in winter and thus dead cells build up more. In fact, certain skin conditions like disorders like psoriasis and eczema can also be mistaken for dandruff. 

Myth 4- Environment, lifestyle and diet has no effect on dandruff. Absolutely not. Consuming too many artificially flavored foods, excess sugar, and preservatives can wreak havoc on your hair. Also going from a cold environment like a cold A/c office into a hot environment will activate more release of oil in your scalp. It’s best to have more fresh fruits, greens, sprouts, and other green leafy vegetables. 

Dealing with Dandruff

It’s best to have a regular hair shampooing schedule like twice or thrice a week. Use products that suit your hair and don’t keep experimenting with too many products. 

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Using shampoos that contain zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, salicylic acid, and coal tar, will help reduce the fungi growth and scaling. 

It's better to use anti-dandruff and anti fungal shampoos only if the doctor recommends and if you have a scalp infection.

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