5 Vitamins Related to Skin Irritations
If you want a healthy body and beautiful skin, you need vitamins. However, excessive amounts of certain vitamins caused by overusing supplements, or a deficiency caused by a poor diet or other conditions, may have an adverse effect on your skin.
Try to maintain the recommended intake to avoid skin-related problems that result from taking too much or not enough of certain vitamins.
Excessive doses of niacin (vitamin B3) from supplements can be toxic, according to the National Institutes of Health. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of supplemental niacin is 16 milligrams (mg) a day for men and 14 mg a day for women, and the maximum Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 35 mg a day.
One of the most common symptoms of too much nicotinic acid, one form of niacin, is flushing, signaled by the skin turning red and feeling warm on the face and neck.
Other side effects of excessive niacin include:
While excessive niacin can cause skin problems, a lack of it can also be problematic, says the National Institutes of Health. Niacin deficiency is associated with malnutrition and causes symptoms involving the skin as well as the digestive and nervous systems.
Sun exposure with a severe vitamin B3 deficiency may trigger a thick and scaly, dark-pigmented rash, known as pellagra. It can cause an enlarged, bright red tongue, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Pellagra is very rare in the United States.
Vitamin A and its antioxidant properties are essential for the maintenance and repair of cells, tissues, and skin. However, excessive vitamin A in your body, particularly from supplements, could lead to a condition called hypervitaminosis A, according to MedlinePlus. The RDA for supplemental vitamin A is 900 micrograms of retinol activity equivalents (mcg RAE) a day for men and 700 mcg RAE a day for women, and the maximum Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 3,000 mcg RAE a day, says the National Institutes of Health.
Vitamin A from supplements, in combination with medications like retinoids for skin conditions, may cause toxicity, as could accidental overdose, which sometimes happens with children.
Symptoms of chronic vitamin A toxicity that affect the skin include:
Your body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A. Although a high intake of foods or supplements containing beta-carotene does not induce dangerous toxic effects, consuming excessive carotene can cause yellow-orange skin, most often concentrated on the palms and soles of the feet. Topical tanning products make use of carotene to create the skin discoloration called carotenodermia, which simulates a suntan.
If you are pregnant, be cautious about how much vitamin A you get from all sources — including supplements and skin-care products. According to the National Institutes of Health, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take more than 10,000 international units, or 3,000 mcg RAE, of vitamin A each day. Excessive vitamin A can cause birth defects in babies, including eye, skull, lung, and heart malformations.
Although vitamin A deficiency is rare in the United States, it can cause an eye condition known as xerophthalmia, which hinders the ability to see in low light. If left untreated, it can lead to blindness, warns the National Institutes of Health.
In addition to the potential problems with niacin, other B vitamins can be responsible for skin eruptions. One such example is the connection between biotin, or vitamin B7, and skin rash. The average daily recommended amount of supplemental biotin is 30 mcg, says the National Institutes of Health.
Biotinidase deficiency is a rare inherited disorder where the body cannot effectively use biotin, according to a study in the American Journal of Neuroradiology. Skin-related issues it causes include rash and hair loss. People with this condition are treated with supplemental biotin.
Other symptoms include:
Zinc is necessary for maintaining the health of your skin. As an ingredient in skin-care products, zinc has anti-inflammatory properties that are beneficial for acne. Zinc deficiency can occur because of a poor diet or medical conditions that cause malabsorption, such as celiac disease. Vegans and vegetarians may also be at risk of a zinc deficiency, says the National Institutes of Health.
The RDA for supplemental zinc is 11 mg a day for men and 8 mg a day for women, and the maximum Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 40 mg a day, says the National Institutes of Health.
Zinc deficiency has been linked to numerous skin problems. The good news is that many of these can be treated with zinc supplements. According to a review in Frontiers in Medicine, zinc supplements can play a significant role in treating warts, genital herpes, ulcers, wounds, and cutaneous leishmaniasis (a parasitic skin infection). Speak to your healthcare provider before supplementing with zinc because excessive zinc may be dangerous.
Vitamin C helps fight skin infections and promotes the healing of wounds and production of collagen, says the Cleveland Clinic. In fact, vitamin C is useful to help reduce skin irritations, such as dermatitis, due to allergic reactions. Vitamin C acts as a natural antihistamine by preventing the secretion of histamine in blood cells.
The RDA for supplemental vitamin C is 90 mg a day for men and 75 mg a day for women, and the maximum Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 2,000 mg a day, says the National Institutes of Health.
Since vitamin C is water-soluble, an overabundance in your body is rare if your intake is coming from your diet. However, a lack of vitamin C can cause skin disorders as a result of impairments in collagen production.
If you are deficient in vitamin C, StatPearls says you may notice:
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