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.
Serious side effects of Vitamin D3
Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing, swallowing, or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Decreased serum vitamin D concentrations have been linked to disturbances in immune function and may contribute to the development of chronic hives and other allergic diseases.
In a small study (11 participants) of children ages 2–13 with eczema, 80% of those taking 1,000 IU of vitamin per day for one month showed improvement in their symptoms. In another study with 30 participants, all of those taking 1,600 IU of vitamin D daily showed significant improvement in their eczema.
Skin rashes
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. Studies have concluded that people who suffer from eczema and other similar skin conditions tend to have lower levels of vitamin D than the rest of the population. Taking a vitamin D supplement therefore increases your levels, helping to reduce the severity of itchy skin.
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include:
Fatigue. Not sleeping well. Bone pain or achiness. Depression or feelings of sadness.
According to the National Library of Medicine, 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.
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.
It's important to note that it isn't strictly true that magnesium does help itchy skin or that a magnesium deficiency causes dry skin. However, one of the many skincare benefits of magnesium is that it can help reduce the inflammation caused by conditions which lead to dry and itchy skin, such as eczema.
Dry skin: Your body loses moisture at night, which can make your skin itchy. Hormonal changes: At night, your body doesn't produce as many hormones as it does during the day and certain hormones reduce inflammation (swelling). As you have fewer hormones at night, your skin could be itchy.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with the risk of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, and several clinical/observational studies have suggested the beneficial effect of vitamin D in the therapy of these 2 inflammatory skin disorders.
Allergic reactions to food, insect bites, pollen, and medicines. Skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and dry skin. Irritating chemicals, cosmetics, and other substances. Parasites such as pinworms, scabies, head and body lice.
Itching on the whole body might be a symptom of an underlying illness, such as liver disease, kidney disease, anemia, diabetes, thyroid problems and certain cancers. Nerve disorders. Examples include multiple sclerosis, pinched nerves and shingles (herpes zoster). Psychiatric conditions.
People with iron deficiency anemia may experience itchy skin (pruritis) that can become red, bumpy and sore when scratched. Rashes associated with aplastic anemia usually appear as tiny red or purple dots under your skin (petechiae). The dots can form large patches but aren't usually itchy or painful.
Official answer. Generally, it takes a few weeks of taking daily vitamin D supplements for vitamin D levels in the body to rise. Each 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 taken daily is expected to raise blood levels of 25(OH)D by 10 ng/ml after a few weeks.
Vitamin D deficiency is most commonly caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight. Some disorders can also cause the deficiency. The most common cause is lack of exposure to sunlight, usually when the diet is deficient in vitamin D, but certain disorders can also cause the deficiency.
It can take anywhere from 1-6 months to raise vitamin D levels with supplements.
In general, the two main causes of vitamin D deficiency are: Not getting enough vitamin D in your diet and/or through sunlight. Your body isn't properly absorbing or using vitamin D.
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.
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].
Medications that help relieve itching include: Antihistamines (allergy pills): Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Zyrtec (cetirizine), Claritin (loratadine), Clarinex (desloratadine), Allegra (fexofenadine).