Owing to limited exposure to the sun, deficiency of Vitamin D is quite common. Dry skin is a common skin condition, which can also be a result of Vitamin D deficiency.
A Vitamin B deficiency can wreak havoc on your skin, causing acne, rashes, dry and flaky skin, cracked lips, and wrinkles.
You may experience red, dry and itchy skin due to vitamin D deficiency. Intake of vitamin D can help you treat such skin problems. It can also reduce skin rashes. Vitamin D is also beneficial for treating eczema which is also a skin condition.
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include:
Fatigue. Not sleeping well. Bone pain or achiness. Depression or feelings of sadness.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures (broken bones). Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases: In children, it can cause rickets. Rickets is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend.
The vitamin goes about the body to help with daily function. Vitamin D also prevents and treats eczema, a severe case of dry skin or dermatitis. A study revealed a higher degree of skin moisture in subjects with more vitamin D.
Often called the 'sunshine vitamin', vitamin D plays an integral role in skin protection and rejuvenation. In its active form as calcitriol, vitamin D contributes to skin cell growth, repair, and metabolism. It enhances the skin's immune system and helps to destroy free radicals that can cause premature ageing.
Dry, itchy skin is often a sign of a vitamin D deficiency. As vitamin D is created through skin exposure to the sun and cholesterol in the skin, in the winter months, when sunlight exposure is less, people often experience dry, itchy skin attributing it to the cold weather.
Living in cold, windy conditions or low-humidity climates. Too much bathing or scrubbing. Taking long, hot showers or baths or scrubbing your skin too much can dry your skin. Bathing more than once a day can remove the natural oils from your skin too.
This is commonly due to the buildup of dead skin cells throughout the face or in specific patches. To give your skin the best care, exfoliate it with a scrub or chemical exfoliant that can get rid of this buildup – just make sure to moisturize after that exfoliation too!
“Adding an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can make improvements in just three to four months time. Vitamin D with a strength of 1000-2000 international units daily is the recommended dose for most adults,” Dr.
Having inadequate levels of vitamin D may correlate with unintentional weight gain. A study on women over the age of 65 found that participants with a lower vitamin D level experienced more weight gain. A systematic review of 23 different studies found similar associations between vitamin D deficiency and obesity.
Some evidence links vitamin D deficiency to eczema and suggests that supplementing it may relieve symptoms. Because vitamin D regulates the immune system, it can protect the skin barrier and prevent inflammation.
However, taking too much vitamin D in the form of supplements can be harmful. Children age 9 years and older, adults, and pregnant and breastfeeding women who take more than 4,000 IU a day of vitamin D might experience: Nausea and vomiting. Poor appetite and weight loss.
Most studies show an inverse relationship between serum vitamin D levels and non-scarring alopecias such as telogen effluvium, androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, and trichotillomania. Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with scarring alopecia.
According to the Vitamin D Council, this could be: 15 minutes for a person with light skin. a couple of hours for a person with dark skin.
Benefits of Vitamin D for Skin
Decreases inflammation: "The most important practical use of Vitamin D in the skin to date is as a mild-to-moderate anti-inflammatory, used clinically as a cream in the treatment of conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and vitiligo," Dhingra says.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
Because the body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight, you may be at risk of deficiency if you are homebound, live in northern latitudes, wear long robes or head coverings for religious reasons, or have an occupation that prevents sun exposure.
Vitamin D deficiencies can also result in bone diseases such as rickets in children and osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults. But you may not be aware that if you're not getting enough vitamin D, you may also suffer from dizziness, headaches, and yes, low energy and fatigue.
Besides boosting mood and promoting calcium absorption, recent studies have shown that vitamin D may also aid in weight loss. For people with extra belly fat, a vitamin D supplement may be beneficial.
Vitamin D insufficiency may relate to higher levels of anxiety and depression, in turn contributing to the elevated risk of psychosis in this population.
Growing evidence has demonstrated that vitamin D has a role in sleep regulation [12]. Specifically, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can increase risk of sleep disorders and is associated with sleep difficulties, shorter sleep duration, and nocturnal awakenings in children and adults [13,14,15].