Often hair is seen as a reflection of the identity of a person. There is a concept of bad hair day – a day characterized by having hair that is not perfect or manageable and hence, everything seems to go wrong.
Self-esteem of a person is affected when the hair is very frizzy, gray or is falling out. There is a strong relation between hair and self-worth. This is particularly true for women. Women see hair as a sign of their femininity. Hair is an extremely important factor in making a woman look beautiful.
These days, people spend a lot of money on hair; be it just for care or styling. Hair definitely adds to one’s beauty. Even if you dress to the nines, but your hair is not properly done, then you may not be satisfied with your looks and might actually not look as good as you could have been with properly done hair.
If you have a bad hairstyle, people may perceive you as a person, who is lazy enough to not take care of the hair or someone, who is low on self-esteem. On the other hand, when your hair is nicely done, you feel more positive and seems to be well conscious about looks. It is always advised to go for hairstyle that goes well with your clothes to make you feel more comfortable and confident.
Loss of hair can temper a person’s appearance. According to a study that measured the happiness quotient of people, claimed that people with serious hair loss were less satisfied with their appearance and were more affected with their older look as compared to those, who did not have such profound hair loss. This was more prominent for young people. The research also claimed that women tend to be more upset with their condition as compared to men.
For many people hair loss leads to depression, anxiety and other emotional issues. Hair loss causes people to look aged. Consequently, it is a sign of ending of the youth, and desirability. Many people are not able to style their hair in case of thinning of hair and falling out, and it makes them very frustrated.
Numerous factors contribute to hair fall. Genetics, taking certain types of medication, cancer treatment and under active thyroid are major causes, among others. Dandruff is one condition that many people think can contribute to hair loss. However, a few holds a totally different opinion. So, it’s better to learn what dandruff is and shed some light on this debatable topic.
Dandruff is a condition that affects the scalp. Symptoms include mild itchiness and flakiness. Other symptoms of dandruff can be red and greasy skin patches and tingling sensations on the scalp. It can lead to low self-esteem or social problems. A severe form of the condition is known as seborrheic dermatitis, which is inflammation of the skin covering the scalp. It is caused by genetic as well as environmental factors. Dandruff is known to affect about 50% of the adults globally.
Some studies aimed at finding link between dandruff and hair loss suggest that dandruff does not directly cause hair fall. However, periodically and constantly scratching the head in dandruff is the actual cause. As a person often scratches his/her head to get rid of itching, hair roots become weak, causing hair to fall out.
Nearly 40% of women, hair fall is caused by itching and scratching the head. Dandruff occurs when the scalp gets dried up, and there is a constant need to itch. This can lead to hair fall due to friction. Dermatitis is the stronger version. This can be a cause of worry. Dermatitis can give you both dandruff and hair loss. It is thought that those, who suffer from hair loss issues also suffer from one or the other forms of dermatitis.
An important point to pay heed is that none of the hair loss patterns in adults are directly caused by dandruff. Dandruff and hair loss form a vicious cycle. Dandruff is not a contagious condition. Hair loss may occur if dandruff effectively damages the hair follicles.
It must be borne in mind that dandruff does not play a direct role in hair loss. However, mechanical loss of hair can be caused due to trauma caused to the scalp. So, it is important to keep the scalp clean and hygienic to reduce the accumulation of dandruff on the scalp or to prevent itchiness.
As explained above, dandruff itself cannot cause falling out of hair, but have a role in hair loss only indirectly. If you are losing hair in large amounts, then you must find out the cause of dandruff. If flaking is due to eczema, then the most important thing is to first treat eczema before flaking or hair loss stops. Skin flaking and hair loss are also caused by psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis.
Sudden hormonal changes can also cause dandruff. These conditions must be treated before getting any results for hair loss and flaking skin. As the dead skin cells of dandruff are removed from the scalp, one may feel itchy, and there could be an urge to scratch. This is the major problem.
Many people face thinning of hair and dandruff. Well, the two conditions are quite different. Thinning hair is about hair, whereas dandruff is about the skin on the scalp. Everyone sheds some hair, which can be easily noticed in the shower when hair move towards the drain.
A healthy scalp prevents hair loss. Many scalp conditions like dandruff aggravate hair loss. So, even if dandruff is not a direct cause of your problem, it can indirectly contribute to the situation.
Dandruff is known to cause dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to build up in the scalp, which damages hair follicles – a major cause of hair loss. Medicines like ketoconazole and finasteride reduce scalp DHT and thus, help in the prevention of hair loss.
Moreover, the way hair loss is treated by people can make dandruff worse. Many people stop washing their hair out of the fear of losing hair. They begin to feel that more hair is lost when it is washed, so they stop. However, this is not a healthy choice. In fact, if you have dandruff, you must wash your hair every day or every second day, as suggested by your dermatologist.
According to experts, a medicine known as minoxidil, which is used for treatment of thinning hair and androgenic alopecia may lead to dandruff. The alcohol content of minoxidil gradually dries out the scalp, and only after several months of treatment with the same, you might observe dandruff.
Thus, we can conclude by saying that dandruff is not a serious condition. Neither it can lead to other health conditions, nor it is contagious. But, if proper treatment is not sought, it can become so itchy that it can eventually lead to hair loss.
Once the scalp is treated, the hair regrows. Dandruff is only a secondary cause that speeds up the process of hair thinning and hair loss. In order to prevent hair loss from dandruff, one can go for various broad spectrum antibacterial and antifungal shampoos, but only after consulting your dermatologist.
