Why does dandruff increase in winter?

Reviewer: Zhang Yuhong, Chief Physician, Department of Dermatology, Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University

As a person born in winter, I particularly like this season. Not only can I eat hot roasted sweet potatoes, but I can also wear many beautiful scarves and hats... I feel that there are no other disadvantages except that it is a bit cold~

However, I recently discovered that when the weather gets colder, my dandruff seems to increase. After asking a few friends, I found out that it’s not just my illusion! Many people have experienced this phenomenon.

Source: nhs.uk

So, why does dandruff increase when the weather gets cold? Before understanding the reasons for the increase of dandruff, let’s first look at how dandruff is formed.

How does dandruff form?

As we all know, the cells in the human body are always in the process of metabolism, and the cells on the scalp are no exception.

After the metabolism of epidermal cells on the human head, the dead cells become dry and fall off in flakes or scales, which is commonly known as dandruff. Dandruff is actually the fragments of some keratin cells that fall off the scalp.

Everyone has a metabolism, so everyone will have dandruff.

Under normal circumstances, the shedding and regeneration of human body cells maintain a dynamic balance. The keratin cells on the head shed slowly and over a long period, and are generally not noticeable to the naked eye. However, if there is so much dandruff that it is visible to the naked eye, it means there is a "problem."

Causes of Dandruff

Dandruff usually occurs in the following situations:

1. If you haven't washed your hair for a long time, the scalp environment will be too dry, which will cause more dandruff;

2. Bad living habits, often scratching the head and picking the scalp with hands, will also accelerate the shedding of dandruff;

3. Increased dandruff caused by Malassezia

Source: pexels

The first two situations generally manifest as an increase in dandruff in a short period of time. As long as you adjust your work and rest and lifestyle habits, you can reduce the generation of dandruff. If it is the third situation, special attention needs to be paid.

Malassezia is an oil-loving fungus that is present in almost everyone's body.

When we often stay up late and have irregular diets, the balance of microbial flora on the scalp will be disrupted, the metabolism of scalp cells will accelerate, and the scalp will secrete more sebum. At this time, the "oil-loving" Malassezia will have a lot of "food".

Malassezia globosa, a possible cause of dandruff

Source: letmelearnya.com

Adequate food allows Malassezia to multiply in large numbers, producing more irritating unsaturated fatty acids, causing scalp inflammation, and then increasing dandruff, itching, and erythema. Over time, this forms "seborrheic dermatitis."

In other words, excessive secretion of oil + excessive growth of fungi is one of the important reasons for the abnormal increase in dandruff.

How to effectively get rid of dandruff

Now that we know the cause of dandruff, we can "prescribe the right medicine". If you want to effectively remove dandruff, there are a few points that need special attention:

First, pay attention to the frequency of washing your hair: washing your hair too frequently may cause scalp sensitivity, so it is recommended to wash your hair once every 1-2 days in spring and summer, and once every 2-3 days in autumn and winter;

Source: pixabay

Second, pay attention to the care of the scalp and do not scratch it vigorously: You know, the scalp is really "thinner than the skin of the face", so when washing your hair, do not scratch the scalp with your nails, but use the fingertips to massage the scalp in circles;

Third, pay attention to the water temperature when washing your hair: water temperature that is too low can easily cause colds and headaches, while water temperature that is too high can easily take away the oil on the scalp, making the hair more vulnerable to damage, and even promote the scalp to secrete more oil, forming a vicious circle. Therefore, it is recommended that the water temperature for washing your hair should be slightly higher than body temperature.

Source: pexels

Fourth, pay attention to toiletries: If you think that you may have increased dandruff caused by Malassezia, you can choose antifungal shampoo. There are four effective antibacterial ingredients in the shampoos currently on the market, namely piroctone olamine salt, zinc pyrithione (ZPT), ketoconazole and selenium disulfide. When buying shampoo, you can pay attention to whether there are these ingredients. Among them, ketoconazole is a medicinal ingredient and needs to be purchased at a pharmacy. Generally, a 2% concentration of "ketoconazole lotion" is recommended and used according to the instructions.

Source: A shopping website

In addition, because this type of anti-dandruff shampoo has a strong cleaning power and can easily cause dry scalp, it is recommended to use it with conditioner. Be careful not to apply conditioner directly to the scalp, as it can easily clog the pores and cause hair loss. It is recommended to apply conditioner to the hair from behind the ears to the ends of the hair, leave it on for about 5 minutes and then wash it off.

In addition to fighting fungi, there is one more thing you must pay attention to. If you feel that your scalp is very itchy, your scalp is red or even has small lumps, and you want to scratch your head all the time, then the editor recommends that you go to the hospital's dermatology department to rule out other pathological causes and consider whether you need to take oral medication for treatment.

In general, under normal circumstances, increased dandruff can be alleviated through the above methods. Among them, increased dandruff caused by seborrheic dermatitis caused by Malassezia can also be completely eliminated through treatment, but it is easy to relapse, especially in the dry autumn and winter climate, because the oil content of the skin stratum corneum is reduced, the skin barrier is damaged, and the barrier ability to Malassezia is reduced. Therefore, we must remain patient, after all, fighting dandruff is a long process~