The medical name for dandruff is Seborrheic Dermatitis. Dandruff often accompanies acne the reasons of which are not yet known. This happens especially in adolescents. Bothering skin conditions follow acne vulgaris in many cases. Dandruff is one of them. Like in the case of acne, dandruff also can be caused by hormonal changes, heredity, stress and diet too. Sometimes dandruff is associated with small pimples on the scalp. As for treating acne, salicylic acid can be used for eradicating dandruff also. Shampoos available over-the-counter contain salicylic acid, zinc or coal tar. For persistent problems of dandruff, your doctor may prescribe strong shampoos. Shampoo can be used on daily basis, as over-washing will not cause dandruff. However, scratching the scalp can worsen the situation. The itching symptom is common to dandruff and acne.
The cause of occurrence of dandruff is similar to that of acne. The pores in the scalp are clogged with the dead flakes from the scalp. Dermatologists usually prescribe dandruff medicines first, if you have both dandruff and mild acne. Dandruff can be caused if scalp is not maintained well. Hypersensitivity to smoke and dust can cause dandruff. Hormonal imbalances, mental stress and malnutrition can lead to dandruff. Exposure to extreme weather conditions, using harsh shampoos and hair colors can also cause dandruff. As keeping the skin clean can prevent acne, maintaining a clean scalp can prevent dandruff. Excess accumulation of oil on the scalp should be avoided. Greasy food, much of sweet and oily food should be avoided to prevent dandruff.
Dandruff can transform into pimples like acne forming on the skin. Dandruff can lead to infection of facial skin too. Proper natural herbs can be used for solving the dandruff problem. Ayurveda describes herbal remedies which are effective for getting rid of dandruff. Nutritional supplementation is essential for preventing dandruff and acne as well. Topical treatment for dandruff with natural products is similar to that of acne. Vinegar solution can be used to clean the hair and scalp to relieve dandruff as skin is cleaned for acne. The contrast with acne for dandruff is that homeopathy medicines are effective in treating dandruff. Diet regulation is more or less same for dandruff and acne. Alternative therapies for dandruff include Detoxification Therapy, Oxygen Therapy, traditional Chinese medicines and also Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy. The oxygen therapy for dandruff involves using external ozone to control fungal growth.
Acne may affect the quality of life to a considerable extent. However, dandruff has only mild implications on the quality of life. Prevention of dandruff can also prevent hair loss as has been observed in most of the cases. Hair loss certainly affects the look of a person. Therefore equal attention should be given to dandruff and acne. The commonness between dandruff and acne is that these conditions develop due to interaction of a yeast organism with a host immune response. Medical experts opine that secondary immune reaction results in seborrhea and dandruff. In a nutshell, excess sebum production and clog of the hair follicles are the main causes for both acne and dandruff.