During menopause we see significant changes in our skin. And due to the declining estrogen levels that cause other skincare concerns, this could also cause dandruff.
The reason for this is that our scalp is skin, too. That means it’s affected by the hormonal change that you’d see on your face or skin on the rest of your body.
It also helps to understand what causes dandruff in the first place.
What causes dandruff?
The single-celled microbe, Malassezia globosa, is the main culprit.
It exists on everyone’s scalp and 50% of people have a negative reaction to its presence on their skin, which causes dandruff.
Basically, the oils on your scalp are fuel for the dandruff-causing microbe. Malassezia digests them and produces oleic acid and other skin-irritating compounds.
This is where the dandruff starts.
What does menopause do to our skin?
The hormonal changes in our bodies cause our skin to produce less collagen. The hydrophilic (water-attracting) compounds inside of our skin cells also decrease, and our skin has less blood flow.
These changes mean that menopause makes skin:
- thinner
- drier
- less effective at being a protective barrier
- more sensitive to irritation, and
- slower to heal
What does this mean for dandruff?
You could experience a bigger dandruff problem during the menopause.
Our skin becomes more vulnerable to Malassezia and other irritants, because it’s thinner and less effective at keeping out harmful substances. This also means that these irritants and the Malassezia bother the skin more than usual.
Both menopause and dandruff cause dry skin on their own. When these two factors combine, your skin becomes especially dry.
Finally, menopause slows down the skin’s ability to heal from damage. This makes our skin less able to defend itself against the environment and makes it more likely that you’ll suffer from a dandruff flare-up during menopause.
What can we do about dandruff during menopause?
Whether you’ve been going through the menopause for some time, or if it’s only a recent new chapter in your life, don’t despair because we have a simple solution for you: the right anti-dandruff shampoo.
You don’t need to abandon your dreams of having smooth, silky flake-free* hair – even during the menopause.
Head & Shoulders Silky Smooth shampoo helps protect your skin from irritants, so that it can restore its healthy balance.
In fact, regular use of Head & Shoulders not only takes care of flakes, it’s also clinically proven to decrease skin stress, increase moisturization, and help strengthen skin to become a better barrier. This helps you to achieve heathier skin and hair during the changes of menopause.
*visible flakes, with regular use