dandruff...

What is meant by this said word "dandruff"?

I think that I may have of the idea that the word possesses however I need more help to completely figure.

Thank you.
Pablo.

its when you don't wash your hair and your scalp starts to flake.
sign of uncleaniness.

<<sign of uncleaniness.>>

Most often it's a condition.

Pantomime is a particularly English tradition at Christmas time...basically it is a kind of play, characterised by farce, music, lavish sets, stock roles and topical jokes. I say English because it was in England that it first became established, although pantomimes are held every Christmas time throughout the UK. They usually follow a theme, often based on nursery rhymes and fairy stories, and including songs and music, including latest hits. Among the popular ones are Babes in the Wood, Snow White, Cinderella, Aladdin, Puss in Boots, Red Riding Hood, etc etc. They are mainly geared for children and usually run in all towns and cities from Boxing Day - 26 December, right through to the end of January.

The characters are often given silly names, and I saw one in which one of the characters was a scruffy oaf of a guy called Dan Druff and another a miserable old witch of a woman called Mona Lott.

To Pablo:

Dandruff= pieces of dead scalp that show up on someone's hair because he rarely shampoos.

To Damian:

Heeheehee :-p. How amusing :-p.

Oh, by the way, I got an unconditional offer from the University of Edinburgh ^.^

***Oh, by the way, I got an unconditional offer from the University of Edinburgh ^.^ **

...good for you.... hope all goes well for you..keep us posted. As you prolly know the campuses are fairly widely spread out across the city and the halls of residence at Pollock (just below the Salisbury Crags) are really nice with great facilities. A No 30 bus straight down to the city centre is the best....every ten minutes or so :-)

Where are you from? Roughly a quarter of uni students at Edinburgh are from abroad.

Perversely, I went to Leeds uni in England although I live here in Edinburgh but there were good reasons for that, in spite of the fact that I would not have had to pay the fees had I stayed here in Scotland.

Yep, I'm from abroad! I'm from Hong Kong, to be exact.

I think there's quite a number of Hong Kongers at Edinburgh. Am I wrong? It seems as if all doctors here have "Edin" or "Glas" in the list of titles following their names. Haha :-p.

Well, I'm an exception here in that I'm preparing to read biochemistry and not medicine at Edinburgh.

I'm certainly considering Pollock, especially because it's a catered hall which means that I wouldn't have to waste time cooking ^.^

As for bus service, that's really nice. I'll be able to enjoy convenient public transport away from home. Yay! (Actually, we have buses coming every 2-4 minutes here *wink* ^.~)

Hmm... I'm still not sure what fees I'll have to pay. I'm petitioning my fee status with the Registry. Hopefully, I can be be charged fees for English/EU students.

You can get dandruff even if you've got really clean hair.

Dandruff is flakes of dead skin that form on the scalp. As it is normal for skin cells to die and flake off, a small amount of dandruff is normal and in fact quite common. Some people, however, either chronically or as a result of certain triggers, experience an unusually large amount of flaking, which can be not only a visual nuisance, but is also often accompanied by redness and irritation. Most cases of dandruff can be treated with the proper shampoo.

Dandruff can also be a symptom of a more serious condition. Care should be taken not to confuse a simple case of dandruff with other conditions that also cause flaking of the scalp, such as seborrheic dermatitis or psoriasis. With all forms of dandruff, as any other rash, excessive scratching should be avoided. Scratching to the point of causing breaks in the skin can increase the risk for infections, particularly from staph and strep bacteria.


Causes
As skin grows, epidermal cells are pushed outward where they eventually die and flake off the body. In most people, these flakes of skin are too small to be visible. However, certain conditions cause cell turnover to be unusually rapid, especially common in the scalp. In people with dandruff, skin cells may die and be replaced about once every two weeks, as opposed to around once a month in healthy people. The result is that dead skin cells are shed in large clumps, which appear as small, unsightly white or grayish patches on the scalp.

Dandruff is understood to be the result of a combination of factors. Some of these factors are well studied, whereas others have not been thoroughly investigated.

The most common cause of dandruff is probably the fungus Malassezia furfur (previously known as Pityrosporum ovale). This fungus is found naturally on the skin surface of both healthy people and those with dandruff. The fungus likes fat, and is consequently found most on skin areas with many sebaceous glands: on the scalp, face and upper part of the body. When Malassezia furfur grows too rapidly, the natural renewal of cells is disturbed and dandruff appears with itching. Other fungi may have a similar role in causing dandruff, as may certain bacteria.

There is a common misconception that dandruff is caused by a dry scalp, or the drying effect of excessive shampooing. In fact, the opposite is true: people with oily scalps tend to suffer most from dandruff. According to Joseph P. Bark, M.D., chairman of dermatology at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lexington, KY, "this may be due to an oily scalp supporting the growth of yeast in the scalp, which is thought to be instrumental in the development of scaling and scalp irritation." He adds that "a large preponderance of males have dandruff, which may suggest some role of androgen hormones in dandruff."

Mild dandruff may be caused by overactive sebaceous glands. Other causative factors include family history, food allergies, excessive perspiration, use of alkaline soaps, yeast infections, and stress. Even the season of the year can contribute to the problem: Cold, dry winters are notorious for bringing on dandruff or making it worse. Symptoms of dandruff can also be aggravated by exposure to dust, UV light, harsh shampoos, and hair dyes.

Dandruff is sometimes the symptom of a more serious condition. If dandruff flakes are greasy and yellow, the probable cause is the skin condition known as seborrheic dermatitis. Joseph Bark notes that "Redness and itching is actually seborrheic dermatitis, and it frequently occurs around the folds of the nose and the eyebrow areas, not just the scalp." Dry, thick lesions consisting of large, silvery scales may be traced to the less common psoriasis of the scalp.

Seasonal changes, stress, and certain diseases seem to affect seborrheic dermatitis. The cold, dry air of fall and winter often triggers a flare-up. Emotional stress can worsen the condition as well.

There is speculation that dandruff is linked with hair loss, as dandruff may indicate an unhealthy scalp.

Good luck with your fees negotiating, Hee hee.

Pollock Halls does have self catering as well as great self service restaurant facilities, and a very lively SU centre. Chancellors Court residential complex is a brand new block catering for students with wealthy parents! :-)

I love the layout of the whole campus up there...I've there been with mates several times and they have great discos at the John McIntyre Centre and the nosh in the restaurant there is really great but be prepared for long queues (LOL...that word again...).

If you're into keeping fit, apart from the sports facilities and gym, just behind the complex is the climb up to Arthur's Seat...two choices..the easy way up the pathways and green slopes, or the rocky and steep bit up Salisbury Crags..avoid the latter unless you're into rock climbing. Either way, the view from the top...(Arthur's Seat is an extinct volcano...very, very extinct, fortunately).....the view from the top is fantastic...the whole city spread out before you and across the Firth of Forth over to Fife. Much like looking down on Hong Kong in a way but without all the skyscrapers...just office block towers away from the Auld Toon (Old Town).

The George Square complex of the Uni is pretty vast and the main advantage there is that it's closer to the city centre and all the fun life.

The No 30 bus is just one of quite a few going into the city centre from outside Pollock but it seems to be the one that is less likely to be crowded. No 33 is the same, but even though they're supposed to run to about 8/10 min schedules they frequently come in a bunch depending on traffic hold ups. The No 14 is more frequent (every 4 mins or so) but nearly always busy. btw all the buses are double deckers...if you want good views going downhill into the city (past the Royal Mile on your right) try and sit on top right in the front.....you have an average 10% chance of getting one of those seats). The 30 and 33 both go down to North Bridge, then round the corner into Princes Street itself.

btw just outside the Pollock complex is the Royal Commonwealth Swimming Pool.