Dandruff causing bacteria may lead to hair shedding

The current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology reports that researchers have found an interesting link between the presence of Malassezia, the family of scalp fungi responsible for dandruff and other scalp disorders.

Malassezia is the group, or family, of yeast bacteria which inhabit the scalp. One of the subtypes of Malassezia is P. ovale, which is directly responsible for excessive flaking of the skin of the scalp; what we commonly term dandruff.

Researchers found that people with a higher concentration of the Malassezia yeast present on their scalp were more likely to have hair shedding. Too much hair shedding can ultimately lead to patchiness and areas of hair loss.

This means that the presence of the Malassezia fungi may decrease the strength or health of the hair shaft, leading to faster turnover.

If you are troubled by dandruff, be sure to treat it as soon as possible with over the counter shampoos and, if serious, advice from your doctor. Although the results of this study do need to be repeated in a larger group, it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to think that a clean scalp might decrease hair shedding.