Dry Flakes: How to Get Rid of Them?

In France, dandruff affects 1 in 2 people. Despite being harmless, dandruff can tarnish the daily life of those affected as it is unsightly and causes varying degrees of itching.

Easily identifiable, these are dead cells or scales that are whitish or grayish on the scalp. These dead cells are the result of an accelerated cellular renewal at the scalp level. This too rapid cellular renewal causes a maturation defect in the epidermal cells that cannot naturally eliminate themselves. They clump together, thus forming dandruff. Generally, dandruff appears from puberty onwards.

Although the mechanism of accelerated cell renewal causing dandruff is well understood, theorigin of dandruff remains a topic of discussion. Indeed, the proliferation of microorganisms (Malassezia fungus), genetic predisposition, and excess sebum are the main causes identified. However, there are other factors that promote the appearance of dandruff (diet, moments of stress...).

Dandruff is thus a common condition of the scalp. There are two types of dandruff: dry dandruff and oily dandruff.

Drydandruffis the most common type of dandruff.Thin,dry, and of awhitish color, theyfall like snowonto the shoulders.

Important to note : unlike oily dandruff that sticks to the scalp, dry dandruff does not adhere to the scalp. As a result, it becomes visible on clothing. This type of dandruff is rarely accompanied by itching.

Generally, dry dandruff is primarily observed on dry or normal scalps. A dry scalp is characterized by a lack of substances that help keep skin cells together (ceramides, fatty acids, cholesterol). Thus, the skin's barrier function is compromised. This leads to an insensible water loss at the scalp level.

This dryness leads to a phenomenon of desquamation with the appearance of dry flakes on the scalp. Due to a lack of sebum, these flakes do not adhere to the scalp and fall like snow.