Posts Tagged ‘emollient’
Dandruff is a common condition caused by a combination of factors that affect the skin of the head (scalp). Most commonly, chronic dandruff is due to dry skin on the scalp complicated by a fungal infection (tinea capitis or head fungus). Before treating dandruff, it is important to exclude other skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis or contact dermatitis (often associated with hair dyes, styling gel, hair softeners, hair relaxers and shampoos). These skin diseases may often present similar to dandruff but require specialist dermatological treatment.
Eczema and psoriasis are two conditions known for excessively dry and itchy skin. Many emollients prove to be unsuitable as they are water based creams that quickly absorb into the skin leaving the outer layers dry and itchy. In these conditions, the skin cannot produce its natural oils (natural moisturizing factor) for lubrication due to the inflammation of the skin.