Does stress have anything to do with my dandruff?
I never used to have dandruff but recently I noticed flakes on my clothes! I’m embarrassed by it. Does stress have anything to do with my dandruff?
answer:
Although stress may exacerbate or contribute to scalp flaking, the real culprit is a fat-eating, yeast-like fungus called Malassezia, which lives on the scalps of most healthy adults without causing problems. However sometimes it grows out of control, feeding on the oils secreted by hair follicles and causing irritation that leads to increased cell turnover. The result is a large number of dead skin cells that fall off and clump together with oil, making them appear white, flaky and all too visible. Exactly what causes an overgrowth of these organisms isn’t known, although increased oil production, hormonal fluctuations, stress, illness, a suppressed immune system, infrequent shampooing and extra sensitivity to the malassezia fungus may contribute to the development of dandruff. Mild cases of dandruff may need nothing more than daily shampooing with a gentle cleanser and stubborn flakes often respond to medicated shampoos, but dandruff shampoos aren’t all alike, and you may need to experiment until you find one that works best for you. If you’ve shampooed faithfully for several weeks and there’s still a dusting of dandruff on your shoulders, talk to your doctor or dermatologist. However, be mindful that you can’t prevent dandruff, you can only take steps to reduce your risk, such as learning to manage stress, using the right shampoo, cutting back on styling products and eating a healthy diet.
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Jan 24th 2008 at 3:25 pm
[…] or seborrhoeic dermatitis which is a sensitivity to the presence of excessive skin yeast. If anti-dandruff shampoos don’t seem to help, then you may well need diagnosis and a prescription-only […]
Feb 7th 2008 at 4:40 am
[…] I get dandruff and my scalp gets severely itchy. It’s so troublesome, not to mention totally embarrassing! […]