Dandruff Treatment

Dandruff treatment in Bangalore is often delayed for months. Most people try three or four shampoos, then oils, then home remedies, before anyone looks at the scalp. By then the flaking has often turned into an itchy, inflamed scalp and noticeable shedding. A proper look at the scalp usually shortens all of that to a few weeks.

Dandruff is very common: a published review estimates that about half of all adults have it at some point (Borda and Wikramanayake, 2015). It is not caused by poor hygiene and it is not contagious (NHS). It is linked to Malassezia, a yeast that lives on almost everyone's scalp and feeds on scalp oil, which is why dandruff treatment is antifungal rather than moisturising.

When dandruff needs a dermatologist

• Four weeks of shampoo, no change: a medicated shampoo used correctly for four weeks with no improvement is the point to stop guessing. The NHS gives the same four week mark.
• Red, sore or bleeding patches: thick, sharply bordered or bleeding scale points to scalp psoriasis rather than dandruff.
• Flaking beyond the scalp: eyebrows, the sides of the nose, behind the ears or the chest suggest seborrheic dermatitis, which often needs prescription care.
• Hair fall alongside dandruff: an inflamed scalp pushes hair into shedding. Treating the scalp early protects the hair. See hair fall treatment.
• A child with patchy flaking and broken hairs: this can be a fungal infection of the hair, tinea capitis, which needs tablets, because shampoo cannot reach inside the hair.
• It started after a new product: a hair dye, keratin treatment or new shampoo can cause contact dermatitis that looks like dandruff.

What we check before any dandruff treatment

1. 01History: how long the flaking has lasted, what you have used and for how long, how often you wash, oiling habits, colour or chemical treatments, and whether anyone at home has the same problem.
2. 02Scalp examination and trichoscopy: a magnified look at the scalp and hair shafts. The pattern of scale and redness separates dandruff from psoriasis, a fungal infection or a reaction.
3. 03Tests only when they change the plan: a fungal scraping if an infection is suspected, or blood tests for iron, thyroid or vitamin D when hair fall points to a cause beyond the scalp.
4. 04A written plan: which shampoo, how long it stays on, how often, what to stop, and when to come back.

Dandruff treatment options at Theory of Skin

This order follows published evidence. A Cochrane review found that ketoconazole and ciclopirox treat seborrheic dermatitis better than placebo, with no clear evidence that one antifungal beats another (Cochrane, 2015). Tablets are kept for widespread or stubborn cases, in line with the 2015 review of seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff. DermNet notes that dandruff often needs long-term maintenance in adults (DermNet).

That one line is where most home dandruff treatment fails. The shampoo has to reach the skin and stay there for about five minutes. Lathered into the lengths and rinsed straight away, even a strong antifungal does very little. Read the full dandruff treatment guide for how to use each ingredient.

Your first visit for dandruff treatment in Indiranagar

1. 01Book a hair consultation online, by phone or on WhatsApp. Mention dandruff so the visit is planned for a scalp examination.
2. 02Come with your hair unwashed for a day if you can, and bring the shampoos and lotions you have tried, or photos of their labels.
3. 03Dr. Sanjana examines the scalp, explains what the flaking is, and writes the plan.
4. 04You use the plan at home for four to six weeks, then come back so progress is checked rather than guessed at.

How long dandruff treatment takes

Itching usually settles within one to two weeks and flaking within two to four weeks of correct treatment. Seborrheic dermatitis can take longer and tends to come back with stress, heat or a change of season, so the plan includes a simple weekly routine to keep it away. Dandruff is controlled rather than cured, because the yeast behind it lives on everyone's scalp. Anyone promising a permanent cure is overselling.

Dandruff and hair fall

Dandruff does not kill hair follicles, but a scalp that stays inflamed for months pushes more hair into the shedding phase, and scratching breaks hair at the root. Treating the scalp usually lets the shedding settle over a few months. If the hair has already thinned, that is assessed separately as part of hair fall treatment, with PRP hair treatment or medication where the cause calls for it.

Dandruff treatment in Bangalore's weather

Bangalore's mix of humid monsoon months, dry winter spells, hard water and long helmet commutes all feed dandruff. Sweat trapped under a helmet, mineral residue from borewell water and overnight oiling are the three habits worth changing first. Washing two or three times a week with the right shampoo, keeping oil off the scalp and rinsing well after a helmet day make dandruff treatment last. More on the climate in skin care for Bangalore's humidity.

Sources

• American Academy of Dermatology: How to treat dandruff
• NHS: Dandruff
• DermNet: Seborrhoeic dermatitis
• Cochrane: Topical antifungals for seborrhoeic dermatitis (Okokon and others, 2015)
• Borda and Wikramanayake: Seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff, a comprehensive review (2015)

Dandruff treatment is part of hair treatments at Theory of Skin, 578, 9th A Main Rd, Defence Colony, Indiranagar, a 10 minute walk from Indiranagar Metro, open Monday to Saturday, 11 AM to 7 PM. Start with the dandruff treatment guide, try the dandruff treatment at home steps, or book a hair consultation.

This page is written by the Theory of Skin team around how Dr. Sanjana Shivashankar, MBBS, MD Dermatology, FRGUHS (Dermatosurgery), assesses a flaky scalp in consultation. Last updated 18 October 2026.