Dandruff can be embarrassing and its more common than most people think. One out of every five people has dandruff and the way some people try to treat it -- can actually making the condition worse.
"People have very degrees of dermatitis this medical term for dandruff," said Dr. Jean Buhac, a dermatologist.
It's most common in men, symptoms include.
"It can be a light flaking in the scalp but it can also be as severe as causing redness flakiness in the eyebrows and the nose, beard area and it can involve the chest," said Buhac.
According to dermatologist Dr. Jean Buhac, people mistakenly think over shampooing and dry skin on the scalp causes dandruff.
"That is why patients don't wash their hair as often and they are afraid they are gong to dry it but the actual treatment is to wash more often, often being once daily," Buhac said.
Most over-the-counter and dandruff shampoos solve the problem but look for certain ingredients.
"As long as you get a sulfur ingredient -- zinc, tar," Buhac said.
Buhac suggests rotating several different brands.
"Use one for two weeks another two weeks and do a rotation with maybe three or four types because there are different ingredients and different shampoos," Buhac said.
While dandruff is not a serious condition there are potential complications in severe cases.
The main complication occurs when the scalp is over scratched leaving an open sore resulting in an infection, which requires further treatment. Dr. Buhac has this advice for men who suffer flakiness, redness or itchiness in their area other than their scalp.
"They can also use the dandruff shampoo briefly to cleanse in the face especially for men in the beard area, the chest shampoo with anti-dandruff shampoo," Buhac said.
Once you get the dandruff just use the shampoo for maintenance.