homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Researchers find what's giving you dandruff - and it's probably not what you think

Dandruff is the most common scalp condition, yet we know surprisingly little about it.

Mihai Andrei
May 30, 2016 @ 10:00 am

share Share

Dandruff is the most common scalp condition, yet we know surprisingly little about it.

Microscopic image of dandruff.

Over 100 years ago,  French microbiologist named Louis-Charles Malassez noticed a fungus — which he dubbed Malassezia — on the scalps of people who had dandruff. He suggested a correlation – the fungus lies at the base of the hair, causing the itch and the white flakes we know so well. The correlation was mostly accepted and has stuck as popular knowledge, but that idea is starting to be challenged.

In a study of 363 adults with and without dandruff, Zhijue Xu from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China and his team have discovered that dandruff is more closely linked to the presence of Staphylococcus bacteria on the scalp than a fungus. In fact, they found no difference between dandruff and dandruff-less people when it comes to the fungus. But when it comes to the bacteria, it’s a completely different picture.

People with dandruff had higher amounts of Staphylococcus, and much smaller amounts of a different type of bacteria, Propionibacterium, than those without dandruff. So it may be the presence of the bacteria, but there may also be a combination of other bacteria lacking that causes dandruff. The study reads:

“The dominant fungus (Malassezia species) displayed contrary roles in its contribution to the healthy scalp micro-environment. Bacteria and fungi didn’t show a close association with each other, but the intramembers were tightly linked. Bacteria had a stronger relationship with the severity of dandruff than fungi.”

The study also found that people with dandruff tend to have less water and oily secretions on their scalps than others but the causality was not determined.

“The sebum quantity and water content were negatively correlated with the formation of dandruff and had significant relationships with the two dominant but reciprocally inhibited bacteria on the scalp (Propionibacterium andStaphylococcus).”

If this is true, then not only do antifungal treatments not work for dandruff, but they may even be making things worse.

While the exact causes of dandruff remain unclear and debatable, there are also other factors which we can control. Overuse of hair products, emotional stress, inadequate nutrition and washing your hair too much or too little can create or exacerbate the development of dandruff.

share Share

This Superbug Learned How to Feed on Plastic from Hospitals

Hospitals might be unknowingly feeding their worst microbial enemies.

China's Tiangong space station has some bacteria that are unknown to science

These aren't the first bacteria to be discovered in space but they are particularly well-adapted for space station life.

Hidden Communication Devices Found in Chinese-Made Inverters Could Put U.S. Electrical Grid at Risk

U.S. experts uncover rogue communication devices inside solar inverters and batteries

Patients on Weight Loss Drugs Like Wegovy May Say They Just Don’t Want to Drink Anymore

Researchers discover semaglutide and liraglutide cut drinking by two-thirds in real-world trial

Why Some People Never Get Lost — and Others Always Do

It’s not really in your genes that much. It’s how you live, explore, and pay attention.

RFK Jr, Nation’s Top Health Official, Refuses to Recommend the Measles Vaccine, Says 'I Don’t Think People Should Be Taking Medical Advice from Me'

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. won’t say whether he’d vaccinate his kids today.

The key to healthy aging? Just eat different types of carbs

Fiber-rich, whole plant foods are the star of the show.

More People Are Dying from Broken Heart Syndrome Than Anyone Realized

New study finds 'broken heart syndrome' as fatal as it is misunderstood

Everything You Need to Know About Bird Flu

How dangerous is it? Where did it come from? H5N1 influenza’s origins stretch back to the 1990s, and key events paved the way for the outbreak we’re seeing today.

This beautiful rock holds evidence of tsunamis from 115 million years ago

The waves that shook the world 115 million years ago left behind an amber trail.