Every day we lose dead skin cells from our scalps. When more are lost than normal, they clump together forming the white or grey flakes called dandruff. Dandruff (also called ‘pityriasis capitis’) is an uninflamed form of seborrhoeic dermatitis. Dandruff presents as scaly patches scattered within hair-bearing areas of the scalp. Dandruff affects approximately 50% of the population in some mild to severe form. Dandruff Seborrheic dermatitis, a more severe form of dandruff is a chronic skin condition that affects the scalp. Dandruff manifests itself as dry skin, flakiness, itchiness and oily skin. Shedding of the skin is natural. Most people shed a layer of skin per month. People who suffer from dandruff shed their skin much faster and the result is a noticeable amount of flakiness.
In the normal healthy process of the scalp, new skin cells are continually being generated and are formed at the lowest level of the skin. These cells when formed move to the outer surface about every 28 days, where they become flat and they shed unnoticed. With dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis, this process accelerates (most likely due to the fungus) and the skin rotates or sheds much faster and more like every 7-21 days. The result of the faster shedding is rather than flat, unseen cells, large clumps agglomerate from hundreds or thousands of microscopic cells and what you see are the flakes.
