FLAKE NEWS

WHAT CAUSES DANDRUFF - AND WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT IT?

- BY CAMILLA FOSTER

DANDRUFF is one of those stubborn, often embarrassing scalp issues that many of us have had to deal with at some point - yet few of us truly understand it.

What is dandruff?

"It’s a non-inflammatory scaling of the scalp," says Glenn Lyons, senior consultant trichologist and clinical director at Philip Kingsley. "It’s a combination of the presence of a yeast-like fungus, but also, and importantly, an increase in our normal shedding and renewal process which can lead to a build-up of dandruff. It can be both fine little scales, or sometimes larger scales."

What factors can impact dandruff?

"The main reason is susceptibility, as some people are more susceptible to get it," says Glenn. "Stress can also influence it. An increase of stress seems to increase the normal turnover of skin and scalp cells."

Hormones can also be an influential factor, with Glenn adding: "Adolescence with hormonal changes seems to initiate it in a lot of young people."

However, the trichologist explains that for most people, what looks like dandruff is often caused by something else.