Think you might have beard dandruff? Find out what it is, what causes it and how to treat it
WHAT IS BEARD DANDRUFF?
It’s condition identical to dandruff in your hair that causes white flakes to appear in your facial hair.
THE CAUSE OF BEARD DANDRUFF
It’s caused by a microbe, present on everybody’s skin, called Malassezia globosa.
It works like this:
- Malassezia feeds on the natural oils your skin produces called sebum
- The breakdown of the natural oils produces oleic acid
- That acid produces an irritation response in 50% of people
- The skin becomes red and itchy
- Your skin cells increase their rate of turnover, forming white clumps visible as dandruff flakes
So all you need to be at risk of beard dandruff is a beard, plus a sensitivity to oleic acid. Considering more than 3 billion people in the word have that sensitivity, it’s pretty common.
COULD IT BE SEBORRHEIC DERMATITIS?
Beard dandruff shares certain symptoms with seborrheic dermatitis, a similar condition which tends to show more severe symptoms.
They have the same cause but people with seborrheic dermatitis react more strongly, with more intense flaking patches, which may be yellowish in appearance, and could appear on the chest, back, face, and scalp.
If you notice flakes, the easy way to check is to treat dandruff first and if it doesn’t go away, check with a dermatologist to see if it could be seborrheic dermatitis.
HOW TO TREAT BEARD DANDRUFF
Beard dandruff is treated in the same way as regular dandruff – by using the right shampoo.
You’ll need a shampoo that tackles the root cause of the problem like Head & Shoulders.
The multi-tasking pH balanced formula with skincare ingredients is great to use on your face. In fact, you might have experienced this for yourself while shampooing, since lather touches your face already when you use it on your head.
So, whether you’re talking about the skin on your scalp, or the skin under your beard, Head & Shoulders works to keep it nourished and protected, so you don’t have to worry about flakes.
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