Dandruff is usually caused by a fungus called Malassezia Globosa; a common fungus that exists in the atmosphere. Hormone imbalances, an excessively fatty diet, excessive use of hair care products and improper washing of the scalp can all also cause dandruff.
Male pattern baldness (MPB) is usually caused by an excess dihydrotestosterone (DHT) causing the hair follicles to atrophy. This tends to be a genetic event, though there is evidence that it can be caused by other factors – environmental, stress-induced, etc.
Depending on the cause, dandruff can be cured by something as simple as increasing the intensity of your hair washing. Other cures include specialist hair products, cutting down on the number of hair products you use and changing your diet to include less fat and sugar.
Despite having a number of possible cures, MPB is a much more complex condition to treat. Treatments include specialist shampoos, diet and exercise changes, changes in nutritional and vitamin intake, a variety of drugs and even hair transplants.
Insofar as dandruff and MPB have wildly differing triggers and cures, they are not related. There is more to the story, though. Dandruff can cause chronic itching, which can in turn cause excessive scratching of the scalp. This can in and of itself damage the hair follicles, making hair weaker, thinner and more likely to break. In a similar vein, skiing does not cause broken legs, but makes something which does cause broken legs to be far more likely (falling down at high speed).
Whilst this is the accepted view, it is by no means infallible. What are your experiences of dandruff and hair loss – do you believe they are related? Does your story tie up with ours? Help fellow MPB sufferers and contribute to the discussion – post below, tweet us or hit us up on facebook.
Also, you can check out some of the below sources if you want more information.
Source, source, another source and final source.
