Dandruff and Hair Loss: What Should You Know?
09 / 23 / 20

Dandruff and Hair Loss: What Should You Know?

If you are the one out of five people who experience dandruff, you may be searching for not only the best treatment method but whether it can cause hair loss in men and women. This is everything you need to know about dandruff and hair loss. What should you know?

What is Dandruff?

There is no doubt that you have heard the term dandruff and associate it with white flakes that show up on your hair and/or clothes without really understanding what it is. Most dandruff is considered to be linked to an increase in the production of oil by glands on the scalp and well as an overreaction to a naturally occurring yeast on the scalp. Dandruff is an extremely common condition that causes the skin on your scalp to flake off in tiny pieces that land most commonly on your clothes. The good news is dandruff is not contagious and it is not a serious medical issue.

However, dandruff can be very embarrassing in any social or professional situation. It can also be extremely difficult to get rid of.

Symptoms of Dandruff

The most common symptoms of dandruff include:

  • Flakes on your scalp, in your hair, eyebrows, beard, or even mustache
  • Itchiness of the scalp
  • Flakes on the skin on your clothes, especially your shoulders

Dandruff can range from very mild to severe and flareups tend to be the worst when you are experiencing unusually high levels of stress or during cold, dry weather.

Can Dandruff Cause Hair Loss?

The condition itself does not cause hair loss. However, side effects can lead to hair thinning and hair loss. Excessive scratching can injure the hair follicles which, hindering their ability to produce new strands of hair. There is a higher chance of hair loss if someone who has dandruff also has androgenic alopecia as well.

What Can You Do?

The first initial step to preventing hair loss due to dandruff is to reduce the itchiness as much as possible. This will help prevent damage to the hair follicles caused by excessive scratching. In order to do this, you have to get to the root of the issue. This is where a trichologist comes into the picture. Our hair specialists will conduct a full scalp analysis to determine if your dandruff is just a matter of improper washing or a sign of an underlying problem.

Potential underlying issues include:

  • Dry skin - This is a condition in which your skin simply flakes off without any inflammation or accompanying redness.
  • Seborrheic dermatitis - This is a scalp condition that is characterized by a red rash, excess oils, and scaly. Flakes can either be white in color or yellow.
  • Malassezia - This harmless fungus is naturally found on most scalps. However, for some people, this fungus can irritate the scalp, which in turn, causes the growth of excess skin cells. This leads to the flaking off of these skin cells when they die.
  • Contact dermatitis - This is a condition that occurs when an individual has a sensitivity to particular ingredients in hair products such as shampoos, conditioners, or even hair coloring products. This can cause redness and inflammation on the scalp along with flaking skin cells.

The Help You Need to Get Your Dandruff Under Control

LH Hair understands that in order to thoroughly treat dandruff, you have to take care of the scalp. Trichology is the field of dermatology that focuses on caring for the scalp and hair follicles. Our hair specialists will perform a FREE hair and scalp exam to help determine the root cause. From there, we offer individualized clinical strength trichological treatment solutions to meet your needs. Schedule your FREE consultation today!