Many young women and men ask me whether having excessive dandruff means they've contracted tinea capitis?

Let me tell everyone now - adults don't develop tinea capitis. After adult sebum secretion occurs, fungal infections can no longer grow in the scalp. So while we may have excessive dandruff, we still use antifungal medications.

Having excessive dandruff? What exactly is this dandruff? It's caused by Malassezia furfur.

This fungus exists on our normal skin in a dormant state. When you sweat, produce oil, or experience poor ventilation, it begins to proliferate in those areas, leading to the appearance of dandruff. Therefore, when treating dandruff, we use antifungal shampoos to improve the condition.

However, this fungus is not true tinea capitis (scalp ringworm) - it's specifically Malassezia furfur. So this type of dandruff caused by Malassezia doesn't cause hair loss. That's correct, it's just unsightly due to excessive flaking and causes scalp itching, which is why we also use antifungal medications.