Half of the world suffers from dandruff

• April 29, 2024

Let's be honest, who has not suffered at some time from the unpleasant company of dandruff? Several studies indicate that more than 50% of the population in the world suffers from seborrheic dermatitis, better known as dandruff, and in almost all cases is caused by a fungus called Malassezia globosa .

A few years ago, a team of scientists managed to complete the genome of this fungus that is also causing other skin disorders; Thanks to this advance, more effective products and treatments against dandruff are already being developed.

Although it is considered a capillary problem, both the causes and symptoms of this disease occur in the skin covering the skull, ie the scalp. However, it may also appear peeling in other hairy areas such as face, eyebrows, armpits and groin in the form of yellowish and greasy plaques.

A fungus and other factors cause dandruff

According to Dr. Andrés Andrade, a dermatologist at the Lungavita Clinic in Cali, Colombia, seborrheic dermatitis mainly affects people with a genetic predisposition. "The problem is not caused solely by the fungus, but by the susceptibility of people to suffer the disease," he adds.

Dandruff occurs when three factors are combined: a genetic susceptibility to the inflammatory response, the manifestation of sebum on the scalp and the presence of M. Globossa.

This fungus is found naturally on the surface of the skin of all human beings, including those who do not have dandruff. It is estimated that in a human head there can be on average up to 10 million fungi.

The M. globossa feeds on the fat produced by the sebaceous glands of the skin and since it has no capacity to make its own fatty acids - which are essential for life - it has to depend on human sebum to survive.

Prevention for two types of dandruff

There are two types of dandruff: dry and oily. The first is usually manifested in puberty and has the characteristic of the presence of fine scales that can give rise to a layer of white powder on the scalp, it can be easily removed but its reappearance is very common.

Greasy dandruff appears in adolescence due to high sebaceous production and the scales are located on the scalp and are greasy.

Since there are no treatments to eliminate the causes that cause dandruff or methods to prevent it, dermatologists advise using anti-seborrhoea shampoos containing salicylic acid, tar, sulfur and selenium sulfide, among other substances.

Video Medicine: Dandruff | How To Get Rid Of Dandruff (2018) (April 2024).