What Causes Dandruff?

The word dandruff comes from an Anglo-Saxon origin where “tan” means tetter and “drof” means dirty (Herman, 2012). However, having dandruff does not necessarily mean a consequence of poor hygiene as there are many causes affiliated with this condition. However, it doesn’t hurt to keep good hygiene because shampooing more often can help lessen the appearance of this harmless yet aesthetically unappealing disorder (Yvette, 2023).

A postulated microbial cause of dandruff is the overproduction of the yeast Malassezia on the scalp (Yvette, 2023). People with dandruff have Malassezia levels 1.5- 2 times the normal level (Herman, 2012). This imbalance causes an overreaction of the immune system.

Specifically, 7 species of Malassezia are responsible for the formation of dandruff. The clumping together of this yeast is not uniformly distributed on the scalp, certain areas of the scalp have more Malassezia than others. These clumps cause an increase of β- defensin- 2, an antimicrobial peptide with numerous mechanisms dealing with viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens (Herman, 2012).

There is still a debate on whether to call this condition a disease or a disorder just because of the blurred boundaries that this condition falls into. For example, it can often be confused with seborrheic dermatitis, which has similar symptoms except that the latter usually also causes inflammation and redness of the scalp (Herman, 2012; Yvette, 2023).

One non-microbial cause of dandruff is too much exposure to the sun. While there has been an increase in promoting sunscreen wearing in recent years, little has been done to protect other parts of the body like the scalp. Sunscreen is safe to put on the scalp, but mechanical sun protection can also be used if one is uncomfortable with it (Herman, 2012).

Another common cause of dandruff can be an allergic reaction to a new shampoo that may have irritated the scalp (Yvette, 2023).

Some solutions for this stubborn condition are to destress as stress is a common cause, consult a dermatologist in case it can be mistaken for a more serious condition, and one can always try a medicated shampoo with ketoconazole to control the Malassezia imbalance (Yvette, 2023).