Some People Are Under The Impression That Dandruff Is Contagious

If you have dandruff, there is no need to get terribly alarmed. You don’t gave to hide from or keep your distance from people for fear that you may pass you dandruff on to the next person. In answer to the question, “Is dandruff contagious?”—no it isn’t. it is quite embarrassing because of the white flakes you will see in your hair and on your clothing. This flaky substance is simply dead skin. So you will itch and you will scratch. This is totally embarrassing, but still not contagious. Let’s understand where dandruff comes from. It is caused by a fungus called pityrosporum ovale. Another more current name for this fungus is malassezia. When this fungus gets overly active and uncontrollable, there is a marked cell dying process. The dead cells will appear in the form of white flakes, while the new cells are being produced.

Although we answered no to the question, “Is dandruff contagious?”, there are particular circumstances that can make a person more likely to get dandruff. One reason is oily hair and an oily scalp. The dandruff causing fungus grows rapidly in these conditions, but if you rub someone’s oily head, you won’t catch dandruff. More males have dandruff than females. Research shows that perhaps the male hormones may be a cause of dandruff. Also a weak immune system seems to produce more dandruff prone people.

Note, also, that even dogs and cats can get dandruff. If you have an animal with dandruff, for this condition you an also find a remedy. Just consult your veterinarian .

There are a number of diseases or conditions that cause scaling or flaking of skin. Is dandruff contagious?—no, but sometimes a more serious condition is mistaken for dandruff. One such condition is ringworm. Scalp ringworm is extremely contagious and is also caused by a fungus. But there is a marked difference between dandruff and ringworm. With ringworm, the scalp becomes inflamed and hair starts to fall out. Some people believe that if they use the comb or brush of a person who has dandruff, they will catch it. This is only a myth or misconception. You will indeed see white flakes in a comp or brush or on the clothing of a person with a dandruff problem. Remember, however, that this is just dead skin that their scalp has shed—it is not the p. ovale fungus itself that is in the comb or brush.

For the  problem of dandruff, there are some strong shampoos (like Selsun Blue and Nizoral) that contain elements that kill the fungus that causes dandruff. Nizoral contains ketoconazole which kills the p. ovale fungus and Selsun Blue contains selenium sulfate—another dandruff controller.

While dandruff is not contagious, that does not make it any less annoying. I mentioned before that you don’t have to run and hide to get away from people who you think may contract your dandruff, but you may have an urge to run and hide to keep, people from seeing your dandruff anyway.

 

Privacy Policy