Dandruff is caused by the excessive shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp.

The skin itself sheds every twenty-four days. Dandruff can happen at any age. Mild cases may need nothing more than daily shampooing with a gentle cleanser. Stubborn flakes often respond to medicated shampoos.

Dandruff is an itchy, annoying and persistent skin disorder of the scalp. Some people, however, either chronically or as a result of certain triggers, experience an unusually large amount of flaking, which can also be accompanied by redness and irritation. In the past ten years dandruff problems in the United States have become more serious and more frequent. As it is normal for skin cells to die and flake off, a small amount of flaking is normal and in fact quite common.

Dandruff and dark color shirt never fit together, because it looks really bad when someone brushes off the white flakes off your attire. At the initial level, dandruff might not seem like a big problem but at later stages it can become troublesome.

Seborrheic dermatitis is a common skin disorder that can be easily treated with antifungal preparations.

One of the characteristics of seborrheic dermatitis is dandruff. Seborrhea is oiliness of the skin, especially of the scalp and face, without redness or scaling. Patients with seborrhea may later get seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis has both redness and scaling.

Causes of Dandruff:

• The main causes of dandruff are impairment of general health, development of a toxic condition mainly due to taking of wrong foods, constipation, and a low vitality due to infectious diseases.
• Another cause are micro-organism called pityrosporum-ovle which is present in every body's scalp.
• Dandruff is usually a result of too much oiliness of the skin and scalp rather than dryness.
• Hormones may be another important cause, because dandruff usually starts after puberty and is more common in men than women.
• For unknown reasons, people with some illnesses, such as Parkinson's disease, are more likely to have dandruff.
• Other causes of dandruff include emotional tension, harsh shampoos, general exhaustion and over-exposure to cold and heat conditions.

Symptoms of Dandruff:

• The most common symptom of dandruff is itching and excessive flaking of the scalp.
• Severe cases may complain of dandruff scales appearing like lumps or crusts on the scalp.