Head and Shoulders, Nizorelle, Selsun,
Revlon ZP11, Versel, Glo-sel, Pert Plus, Derma-Zinc... the list of anti-dandruff
shampoos goes on and on. And no wonder- at least 50% of
Americans suffer from
dandruff at some stage during their life
1, so the field is a financial
goldmine. So what exactly
are these
magical products all about?
What is dandruff?
Firstly, a quick lesson in dandruff. The
flaky scalp condition is
caused by a
fungus called
Malassezia. Malassezia feeds on the naturally occurring
oils on your scalp, and the by-products of this process make the head irritated. The scalp then makes a lot of new skin cells to get rid of the irritated
skin, producing the white flaking
dead skin cells we all know as dandruff.
Stress,
climate,
hormones and
diet are thought to affect dandruff. Dandruff shouldn't be confused with a
dry scalp, which is typified by smaller flakes and more
itching.
The shampoo
The active ingredients in
commercial anti-dandruff shampoos are often based around these
treatments:
Anti-fungal
Pyrithione
zinc (or ZPT) is an anti-fungal treatment which directly attacks that darn Malassezia fungus. Revlon ZP11 has an active ingredient listing of 2.5% for
pyrithione zinc, which is usual. Other anti-fungals used in anti-dandruff shampoos are
selenium sulfide, ketoconazole, climbazole and octopirox. Many of these ingredients are used in the treatment of
dermatitis and
tinea.
Anti-proliferative and keratolytic
Coal tar is often used in such
shampoos as it slows down the production and
shedding of skin cells. This ingredient doesn't fight the cause of dandruff, merely the
symptoms. Keratolytic ingredients such as
sulfur and
salicylic acid work to separate the skin cells on the scalp, which means that when the skin is shed there will be much smaller
clumps than the usual dandruff. This also only treats the symptoms and is not a
preventative measure.
Side effects
There are few
side effects when using anti-dandruff shampoos. The most common is unusual
dryness or
oiliness of the scalp, which endeavours to
balance the natural
pH. Skin irritation can also occur. Less common is the
loss of hair. It is safe to use anti-dandruff shampoos when
pregnant and
children can also use the products safely. As always with shampoos, if you get the product in your
eye rinse it out immediately as it may cause
pain.
Alternative products
Garlic and oil of
oregano are reportedly excellent for controlling and treating dandruff. They can be purchased in
capsule or
tablet form and can be taken internally or externally.
1 Information from "Internal P & G study",
www.headandshoulders.com Other source:www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo