Symptoms of dandruff

For most people, the symptoms of dandruff are unmistakable: white, oily-looking flakes of dead skin dotting your hair and shoulders, and an itchy, scaling scalp. However, it is not quite that simple to diagnose, because many conditions cause excessive skin scaling. [1]

• Dry skin, the kind you get in winter when the air is cold and rooms overheated. is by far the most common cause of itchy, flaking skin. However, flakes from dry skin are generally smaller and less oily than dandruff flakes.
• Seborrheic dermatitis is a frequent cause of dandruff. Symptoms are red, greasy skin covered with flaky white or yellow scales. It affects not only your scalp but also other areas rich in oil glands such as eyebrows, the sides of your nose and the backs of your ears, your breastbone, your groin area, and sometimes your armpits.
• Psoriasis is a skin disorder which causes an accumulation of dead skin cells that form thick silvery scales. In severe cases, the skin cracks, bleeds, and may be quite painful. Psoriasis commonly occurs on the knees, elbows, and trunk. It can also extend from your scalp onto your forehead and neck. [3]
• Cradle cap, like seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp, causes a scaling, crusty scalp. It is most common in newborns, but can occur at any time during infancy. Though it can be alarming for parents, cradle cap is not dangerous and usually clears up on its own by the time a baby is a year old. [4]
• Scalp ringworm, or tinea capitis, is a highly contagious fungal infection that occurs primarily in children under the age of ten. Ringworm starts as a red sore around a hair shaft usually on the scalp, but in some cases it affects areas around eyebrows or eyelashes as well. Within a few days, the sore turns scaly and spreads outward in the ring pattern that gives the infection its name. The hair in the affected area usually breaks off just above the surface, leading to a red, inflamed scalp as well as hair loss. [5]
• Contact dermatitis is sometimes caused by sensitivities to certain hair-care products or hair dyes, resulting in a red, itchy, scaling scalp. [6]