Severe Dandruff

Hello,
I'm a 24 year old male.
Height- 1.81m
Weight- 65 kg
Otherwise normal.

I have a severe dandruff conditions. Its bad enough to allow me to scrape off chunks of flakes from my scalp during some periods of exacerbation. The scalp sometimes bleeds and pains a lot. Also, I experience a lot of hair fall during these periods.

I have tried a variety of antifungal shampoos, including the ones containing azoles, selenium sulfide etc. None seem to work effectively. On advice from a friend I applied clonate lotion and kept it overnight. This worked extremely well. Within one application the dandruff disappeared and the hair fall stopped dramatically. However it seems to recur every two weeks. Do I have to keep applying the lotion constantly to keep my scalp healthy? Any suggestion would help.

Thank you!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It can be due to dandruff which can be due to internal or external causes. Internal causes include hormonal imbalance, poor health, poor hygiene, allergic hypersensitivity, lack of rest, emotional stress, excessive consumption of sugar, fat or starch and heredity predisposition.

External causes include excessive use of hair sprays and gels, improper use of hair-coloring products, cold weather and dry indoor heating, infrequent shampooing of the hair or inadequate rinsing of the scalp and hair.

Eat a healthy diet. You can also take vit B6 and vit A and E which are good for hair and skin. Try medicated shampoos for dandruff. There are a number of over-the-counter shampoos available that can help. The most effective ingredients -- antimicrobials -- to look for are zinc pyridinethione, selenium sulfide, sulfur and ketoconazole (also available by prescription). If your hair is colored, don't use products with selenium sulfide or sulfur.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.