Can you be REALLY allergic to your own dandruff?

December 7, 2020 8:39 PM

I don't know how else to explain it. Lately I've had more dandruff than usual. I've always had a bit but now, absentmindedly scratching my head, it's...a bit. I've also been having really itchy eyes and sneezing. So much so that I'm taking allergy pills twice a day. More than ever before. But today I thought, "what if they're connected?" So is that possible? Can I be allergic to myself?
posted by rileyray3000 to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

It’s far more likely that the dandruff is another allergy symptom.

My allergies have been particularly bad this year, and I recently bought an air purifier (the brand I bought was Germ Guardian) in a fit of skeptical desperation, and it has been LIFE-CHANGING. Highly recommend. I run it in my bedroom 24/7.
posted by amro at 8:49 PM on December 7, 2020 [20 favorites]

(On the slight derail of room air purifiers, is yours nice and quiet, with no annoying led lights glowing or blinking in the middle of the night when one is trying the sleep?)
posted by eviemath at 9:11 PM on December 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

Dandruff is mostly just dead skin, but you definitely might be allergic to whatever is causing the dandruff as it can often be caused by a scalp fungus. First thing I would try is an anti-dandruff shampoo. Another guess would be that you might be allergic to your hair care product if you changed that or a facial care product recently
posted by JZig at 9:45 PM on December 7, 2020 [4 favorites]

You can also just get more dandruff as you age and your hormones change, same with becoming more sensitive to allergens. If you can talk with a doctor you can get a prescription for really hardcore anti-dandruff shampoo - my mom uses this, she has a lot of psoriasis-adjacent issues. Take an inventory of your surroundings first though - if you're now staying at home a lot more than you otherwise would have this winter you might be having a reaction to something you've previously not been exposed to much. Or if you're running a humidifier it might have gotten funky, or maybe you've got different cleaning products because of shortages. Really though dandruff is mostly skin cells and sebum and you're probably not having a reaction to that. Your other allergies might be related or it could be two different changes happening at once.
posted by Mizu at 10:39 PM on December 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

I have an autoimmune disease, and I'm constantly allergic to myself. It's rare, but absolutely an accurate thing. The best thing I've ever done was stop eating fruit/seeded things. My allergist said that all allergies are like a glass of water, you don't feel them until the glass overflows.
posted by lextex at 11:05 PM on December 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

Following the Curl Girl suggestions (check ingredients list for sulfates, condition rather than wash hair, avoid fragrance) and it cleared up my dandruff.
posted by MichelleinMD at 10:38 AM on December 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

Eviemath, it’s pretty quiet on low and pretty loud on high. Does not blink. Blue light outside when the UV light is on inside it, but it’s not bright.
posted by amro at 3:01 PM on December 9, 2020 [1 favorite]