Psychological Costs of Dandruff

What makes dandruff such a big deal in our modern society?  After all, there are no life-threatening or permanently disabling effects that one suffers from a dandruff affliction.  The worst physical consequence of having dandruff is a chronically itchy scalp, which ranks far below the symptoms of plenty of other more serious diseases.  But then, in our appearance-obsessed civilization, it should come as no surprise that a condition which is more aesthetically unnerving than dangerous would be considered a topic of greater concern, in the leagues of other ailments like pattern hair loss.  It would be easy to dismiss our admittedly high interest in dandruff treatment as part of mankind’s weakness for vanity, but sometimes, we have to acknowledge that conditions like dandruff tend to alienate and embarrass the people afflicted with them, damaging their relationships and their self-esteem.

Dandruff is a particularly troublesome affliction as far as scoring points during social interaction is concerned.  For example, it would be somewhat awkward trying to sustain a conversation with someone who had excess skin flakes all over his dark shirt, or kept having to excuse himself to scratch his scalp.  Certainly, anyone who had these problems would be the subject of scorn, ridicule or revulsion, regardless of being male or female.  It can be bad enough when an otherwise very attractive man or woman exhibits signs of dandruff, which can be a major turn-off.  What about all of those people of average or less than average looks who have to get by on charm and confidence?  A lot of that stuff would surely fade once a person has to watch himself so that he doesn’t get pieces of skin on other people, especially in a congested or crowded location. 

People who suffer from chronic dandruff may find themselves deliberately restricting the types of clothing that they wear, opting for items that don’t draw attention to themselves, or are colors that are less likely to show dandruff flakes clinging to them.  They may wear hats to cover up their dandruff, only to have their hats cover up their faces, as well.  This leads to a sacrifice of the self-expression that accompanies wearing one’s choice of clothing, which can be psychologically stressful. 

Another unfortunate side effect of persistent dandruff is the tendency of people who suffer from the condition to be more withdrawn, more likely to just stay at home and languish in front of the television instead of going out into the world and being active at social gatherings.  This only aggravates the loneliness that these people feel, feeding on itself in a vicious cycle of ostracism, which is in part self-imposed.

One must also consider that all of these negative emotions contribute to stress, which extracts an indefinite toll on one’s body and causes all sorts of disorders, and may even make one’s dandruff worse.  Consequently, it makes sense for dandruff remedies to be readily available at price ranges and formulations that are accessible to everyone.  Perhaps, when people don’t have to worry about dandruff, they can concentrate on more important things.

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