Reliable Relief For Dandruff

You never thought you'd be one of those people with telltale white flakes on her clothes. But you're not alone: more than 1 million women suffer from dandruff. End the agony with this expert advice.

The Basic Facts
the scalp, simply, is skin covering the head. Like skin on other parts of the body, it has three layers: a thin outer layer or epidermis; a second layer of blood vessels, nerves and hair follicles; and a third layer of fat-filled cells and nerves.

Chronic dandruff occurs when an overgrowth of yeast-like fungi stimulates the epidermis to produce cells more rapidly than usual. And though healthy scalps produce cells too, an overgrowth of yeast, triggered by a number of factors like hormonal imbalance and genetics, causes cells to move to scalp's surface at an accelerated pace. This triggers flakes of dead skin to be shed.

What To Look For
Your scalp needs help if you have:
Persistent itching and flaking: The urge to scratch all the time is a red flag.
Redness at the parting and hairline: An inflamed scalp results when the body attacks the yeast, causing itchiness.
Sensitivity to touch: When fingering through, brushing or blow-drying your hair, your scalp feels tingly.

Simple Solutions
Here are the causes and effective cures:
Learn to manage stress.
Anxiety aggravates inflammation (and often precedes your conscious desire to scratch).

Shampoo more often.
If you don't wash your hair daily, try doing so for a week with your regular shampoo. Flakes may just be styling product build-up.

Use a hydrating, flake-fighting cleanser.
Ridding chronic flakes will require a conditioning anti-dandruff shampoo and leave-in treatment product with zinc.

What Works
"Seek medical consultation if over-the-counter anti-dandruff products don't work after three weeks," advises, a consultant dermatologist at a skin clinic. You could be suffering from seborrhoeic dermatitis (a scaling rash caused by a yeast called malassezia furfur).

In that case, a dermatologist will prescribe cortisone-based scalp applications and a treatment shampoo with coal tar or anti-fungal agents like ketoconazole and ciclopirox. You should see some improvement with 10 to 14 days but use an anti-dandruff or medicated shampoo to stay flake-free.