The vitamins we can’t live without
To keep your skin healthy, you need to follow a proper skin care routine.
This means you need to nourish your skin from the inside out.
A poor diet can cause deficiencies in certain vitamins that can negatively affect your skin.
So, today we have 9 symptoms of vitamin deficiency that you should watch out for:
1. Dry skin – lack of vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin responsible for the formation and maintenance of healthy skin, teeth, mucous membranes, soft tissues and skeletal tissue.
Vitamin A deficiency can lead to scaly, dry lips and dry skin.
RDA (recommended daily intake): 900 mcg/day for adult men and 700 mcg/day for adult women
Sources of vitamin A
Vitamin A is mainly found in animal sources such as cheese, meat, eggs, liver, cream, cod, kidney, liver and halibut oil.
Carotenoids are color pigments with antioxidants found in vegetables and fruits.
2. Skin rashes – Deficiency of vitamin B2
Riboflavin is involved in the production of energy from food and plays a role in maintaining healthy skin and vision.
A deficiency of this vitamin can cause redness and cracks in the corners of the mouth and tongue, as well as skin rashes.
You may also experience sore eyelids, hair loss, and corneal redness.
RDA: 1.3 mg for men and 1.1 mg for women
Sources of vitamin B2 or riboflavin
To get your daily intake of vitamin B2, add more milk, leafy green vegetables, cottage cheese, whole grains, yogurt, egg whites, liver, kidney, and meat to your diet.
3. Eczema – Deficiency of vitamin B3
In order to be able to convert fats, proteins and carbohydrates into energy, our body needs niacin.
It helps maintain the health of our skin and supports our nervous and digestive systems.
Niacin deficiency can lead to pellagra, which is characterized by symptoms of dermatitis (eczema), diarrhea and dementia.
This condition causes the skin to become red and itchy.
It can also cause swelling of the tongue. If left untreated, this condition can be fatal.
RDA: 16 mg/day for men and 14 mg/day for women
Sources of B3 or niacin
B3 is found in fish, eggs, meat, whole grains, nuts, mushrooms, milk and poultry.
4. Skin ulcers – Vitamin B6 deficiency
Vitamin B6 is extremely important for the optimal health of your skin.
Deficiency of this vitamin can lead to rashes that cause itching, scaly lips and sores at the corners of the mouth.
RDA: 1.3 mg/day for adults ages 19-50 1.7 mg/day for men over 51 and 1.5 mg/day for women over 51
Sources of vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is found in fish, eggs, poultry and starchy vegetables such as potatoes.
5. Dermatitis – deficiency of vitamin B7 (biotin)
Biotin is involved in energy metabolism, fat synthesis, glycogen synthesis and amino acid metabolism.
This vitamin is widely found in foods, so this vitamin is rarely deficient.
However, consuming raw egg whites, which contain a protein that prevents biotin absorption, can cause a deficiency.
Pale skin, dry skin, scaly dermatitis, hair loss, loss of appetite, muscle pain, weakness and nausea are the most common symptoms of vitamin B7 deficiency.
RDA: 30 mcg/day for adults
Sources of vitamin B7
The best sources of biotin include beef liver, peanuts, mushrooms, chicken and egg yolk.
6. Yellow skin and vitiligo – Vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 has the ability to keep blood and nerve cells healthy.
It is involved in creating your genetic material or DNA.
Deficiency of this vitamin can lead to symptoms such as loss of appetite, loss of vision, fatigue and shortness of breath.
People with vitamin B12 deficiency are more likely to develop pernicious anemia, a condition in which the body is unable to absorb B12 from food and cannot produce enough healthy red blood cells.
RDA: 2.4 mcg for adults
Sources of vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is mainly found in eggs, milk, cheese, liver and meat.
People with anemia are advised to use vitamin B12 drops or tablets to treat their problem. White mushrooms are vegetarian sources of B12.
7. Scurvy – Vitamin C deficiency
Vitamin C has antioxidant properties and is very important for the health of your skin. It is involved in the synthesis of collagen, a protein responsible for the structure and maintenance of your skin.
It has been scientifically proven that more vitamin C can protect you from sun damage.
Vitamin C deficiency, on the other hand, can lead to scaly, dry, and rough skin.
It can also lead to scurvy, a condition in which the body cannot properly replace collagen.
This causes symptoms such as muscle and joint pain, red patches on the skin, swelling and bleeding gums.
RDA: 90 mg/day for men and 75 mg/day for women18
Sources of vitamin C
Vitamin C is mainly found in oranges, mangoes, grapefruits, papaya and vegetables such as tomatoes, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, green and red peppers.
8. Psoriasis – Vitamin D deficiency
It is well known that vitamin D deficiency can adversely affect bone health and lead to osteoporosis.
You should also know that a deficiency of this vitamin can contribute to psoriasis.
RDA: 15 mcg/day for adults
Sources of vitamin D
When exposed to sunlight, our skin produces vitamin D.
However, excessive sun exposure can lead to skin damage and cancer.
Saltwater fish, liver, and egg yolks are the best sources of vitamin D. You should also include more grains and milk in your diet.
9. Premature aging – Vitamin E deficiency
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that is extremely important when it comes to free radicals.
When we convert food into energy, free radicals are formed naturally in our body.
Some of the factors that free radicals open up to us include air pollution, smoking, and sunlight.
This means that vitamin E is paramount in protecting our skin from sun damage, which can lead to accelerated aging and wrinkles.
RDA: 15 mg/day for adults22
Sources of vitamin E
The best sources of vitamin E include sunflower oil, safflower oil, wheat germ oil, and nuts such as peanuts, hazelnuts, and almonds.
Green vegetables like spinach and broccoli are also rich in vitamin E.
If you notice any of the usual changes in your skin, be sure to see your doctor.
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