How to Soothe and Repair an Itchy and Flaky Scalp

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[music] Hello, I’m Dr. Neal Schultz

[pause]

and welcome to DermTV.

How do you fix a dry, flaky, itchy scalp? Very simply, just shampoo it.

What do flakes represent, whether they’re on your face or on your scalp?

Flakes represent large clumps of dead cells. Normally, as your skin

matures, and the dead cells fall off, they fall off in very tiny,

microscopic cells. You can’t see them. But when they come off prematurely,

before they have a chance to separate one from the other, then they come

off in clumps, and these clumps are recognized as flakes. And flaking is

actually usually caused by inflammation, not by dryness, so what does

flaking from the scalp represent? It’s actually dandruff, and dandruff is

the result of inflammation from excess oil. The excess oil on the bottom of

the scalp causes inflammation and that results in a little bit of redness,

a little bit of swelling, and actually the skin is then shed prematurely in

these flakes. How do we control this inflammation and the oil imbalance?

Very simply, by shampooing. Start with your regular shampoo. Shampoo every

day. Lather up for a minute, rinse it out. Lather up for another minute.

And don’t be concerned that you’re going to cause dryness in your scalp

because the flaking that you see, it’s not dryness, it’s really

inflammation. If your regular shampoo doesn’t do the trick after about two

weeks, then try a medicated shampoo. There are many over-the-counter

medicated shampoos that work. They are aesthetically elegant. They often

contain either tar, salicylic acid, selenium or zinc. Again, give them two

weeks and, if that doesn’t solve your problem of dry, flaking or itching in

your scalp, it’s time to see your dermatologist who will prescribe topical

medications to control

your problem.

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