The belief that dandruff is caused by poor hygiene is erroneous, a dermatologist, Dr Ayesha Akinkugbe, said on Friday.
Akinkugbe, a Consultant at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Akinkugbe said: ``Dandruff is a condition of the scalp that causes flakes of skin to appear.
`` It is a common condition that is not easy to treat; it causes itching and can be embarrassing.
``Anybody can have dandruff; even babies do have dandruff, at times.
``Most often, dandruff begins in young adulthood and continues through middle age; it can be a lifelong condition for some people.’’
She explained that dandruff was not infectious and also not a sign of poor hygiene or unkempt hair.
``It is more of a cosmetic problem than a medical problem,” Akinkugbe said.
According to her, dandruff can be caused by different things.
``It may be caused by the presence of yeast in the scalp, sensitivity to hair care products or certain ingredients in hair care products or hair dyes.
``Stress and negative emotions have been known to also play a significant part in skin conditions such as dandruff,” she said.
The doctor said that dry skin, oily hair and scalp, poor diet, eczema and other skin disorders might predispose some people to having dandruff.
``Also, patients recovering from heart attack and stroke, and some people with weak immune system may have dandruff more often than other people,’’ she said.
Akinkugbe added that people suffering from Parkinson's disease were likely to have dandruff.
She advised people with dandruff to control it by using medicated shampoo.
``People with dandruff are usually advised to wash their hair with medicated shampoo daily; after some time, they can reduce it to once or twice a week.
``Sometimes, changing from one shampoo to another can help if you find out that a particular shampoo is becoming less effective.
``It is important to use a product that suits you best and avoid excessive use of hair products like dyes, ‘’ she urged. (NAN)
Akinkugbe, a Consultant at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Akinkugbe said: ``Dandruff is a condition of the scalp that causes flakes of skin to appear.
`` It is a common condition that is not easy to treat; it causes itching and can be embarrassing.
``Anybody can have dandruff; even babies do have dandruff, at times.
``Most often, dandruff begins in young adulthood and continues through middle age; it can be a lifelong condition for some people.’’
She explained that dandruff was not infectious and also not a sign of poor hygiene or unkempt hair.
``It is more of a cosmetic problem than a medical problem,” Akinkugbe said.
According to her, dandruff can be caused by different things.
``It may be caused by the presence of yeast in the scalp, sensitivity to hair care products or certain ingredients in hair care products or hair dyes.
``Stress and negative emotions have been known to also play a significant part in skin conditions such as dandruff,” she said.
The doctor said that dry skin, oily hair and scalp, poor diet, eczema and other skin disorders might predispose some people to having dandruff.
``Also, patients recovering from heart attack and stroke, and some people with weak immune system may have dandruff more often than other people,’’ she said.
Akinkugbe added that people suffering from Parkinson's disease were likely to have dandruff.
She advised people with dandruff to control it by using medicated shampoo.
``People with dandruff are usually advised to wash their hair with medicated shampoo daily; after some time, they can reduce it to once or twice a week.
``Sometimes, changing from one shampoo to another can help if you find out that a particular shampoo is becoming less effective.
``It is important to use a product that suits you best and avoid excessive use of hair products like dyes, ‘’ she urged. (NAN)
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