Meant harmlessly or not, the after-effect of these scenarios is evident in many individuals – myself included. Only recently, I realised I was consciously avoiding using the term 'dandruff' to describe my cracking, sensitive scalp – almost as if it were a dirty word. What's more, a 2015 British Skin Foundation survey found that a third of people have avoided a social situation due to dandruff. By portraying it as something to be ashamed of, we are exacerbating what is in fact a treatable and very common condition. Trichologist Anabel Kingsley tells me that although 90% of her clients present with some form of scale on the scalp, many of them feel isolated by it. "People do get embarrassed," she told me, "and some men will come into my clinic wearing hats to hide it. Our perception towards it definitely needs to change. It's a skin condition – it doesn't mean that you're dirty, or that it's contagious, which is a common misconception."