Is Dandruff Hereditary?
Did you know dandruff is NOT caused by poor hygiene? It’s your own sensitivity – something that can be inherited from your parents.
Sensitivity is just one factor that causes dandruff – the other two are universal and everybody has them:
- A naturally occurring microbe called Malassezia globosa
- Scalp oils – or sebum – which everybody produces
They cause dandruff as Malassezia breaks sebum down into oleic acid.
For 50% of the world’s population that results in dandruff, because they’re sensitive to oleic acid.
If you’re not sensitive to it, you won’t experience dandruff.
Explore the cause of dandruff in more detail
Hormones are the key to oil production
The oils on your scalp are produced by glands beneath the surface of your skin – they’re essential to keeping your hair and scalp moisturized.
These glands are controlled by hormones. It’s why many people start to notice oil – both on the scalp and other areas of skin – during puberty when their hormones start to kick in.
More oil doesn’t always mean more dandruff
Just because you produce scalp oils – even if you have inherited a tendency to over-produce them – doesn’t mean you’ll suffer from dandruff.
To experience dandruff, you also need to be sensitive to oleic acid. If you’re not, it doesn’t matter how much oil you produce, you’ll never experience dandruff. Skin sensitivity is one trait that can be inherited from our parents.
So it’s not really dandruff that’s hereditary, but rather some of the factors that cause it are. So if you have it, you may indeed have your parents to blame.
More tips and advice from the experts:
- The causes of dandruff