When you're low in B vitamins, the opposite happens. Your skin starts to look dull or dry. You may notice flaky skin as the skin struggles to lay down new cells fast enough. B vitamin deficiency can also make it easier for the skin to become irritated; acne, rashes, and cracked skin is common.
A Vitamin B deficiency can wreak havoc on your skin, causing acne, rashes, dry and flaky skin, cracked lips, and wrinkles. It can also make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, personal care products, and other potential aggressors, and can accordingly lead to redness and irritation.
If you're lacking in vitamin D, your skin may tell on you. For example, if you're not getting enough vitamin D, your complexion might be dull, lacking that desired glow and you might also experience dry, flaky skin on your face and other areas of your body.
The deficiency of vitamin B12 can cause specific skin manifestations, such as hyperpigmentation, vitiligo, angular stomatitis, and hair and nail changes [1].
An unhealthy pale colour to your skin may be a sign of iron, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin B6 or folate deficiency. The skin may become pale when you are anaemic or when your circulation is not working effectively.
What are the symptoms of zinc deficiency? Zinc deficiency can result in skin changes that look like eczema at first. There may be cracks and a glazed appearance on the skin, often found around the mouth, nappy area and hands. The rash doesn't get better with moisturisers or steroid creams or lotions.
Stage 1 is decreased levels of vitamin B12 in the blood. Stage 2 is low concentration of vitamin B12 in the cell and metabolic abnormalities. Stage 3 is increased levels of homocysteine and MMA and decreased DNA synthesis resulting in neuropsychiatric symptoms. Stage 4 is macrocytic anemia.
How to raise your B12 levels fast. The most common way to treat B12 deficiencies is by adjusting your diet. If this is unsuccessful, vitamin supplements may be recommended. If you're looking to boost the amount of vitamin B12 in your diet, you should eat more animal products, like meat, seafood, dairy and eggs.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin): B12 boosts the radiance of dull and mature skin. This B vitamin also helps to diminish the look of dark spots and uneven skin tone.
Accelerated skin aging
A study found that when a vitamin D deficiency occurs, skin burns faster when exposed to the sun. Sun exposure is one of the biggest external contributors to fine lines and pigmentation, so having enough vitamin D in your body may help prevent premature signs of aging on your skin.
Vitamin E deficiency can cause nerve and muscle damage that results in loss of feeling in the arms and legs, loss of body movement control, muscle weakness, and vision problems. Another sign of deficiency is a weakened immune system.
Vitamin B6 deficiency is associated with microcytic anemia, electroencephalographic abnormalities, dermatitis with cheilosis (scaling on the lips and cracks at the corners of the mouth) and glossitis (swollen tongue), depression and confusion, and weakened immune function [1,2].
If you don't drink enough water or if the weather is especially dry outside (say, during a hot summer or very cold winter), the amount of moisture below the skin's surface can reduce, leaving skin that looks deflated and dull, instead of plump and bright.
Dryness and Dehydration
Both can cause the skin to appear lackluster, sallow, or dull. Dehydrated skin may also be more prone to sagging, wrinkling, and roughness—all of which can worsen the appearance of dullness.
Without moisture, your skin looks dull and drab. Failing to maintain your body's proper hydration levels doesn't only cause dull skin, but can also have unwanted long term effects such as fine lines, sagging skin, and wrinkles.
It's harder to get your B12 from food if you're on a strict plant-based diet. That means you don't eat any animal products, including eggs or dairy. Your doctor will likely suggest taking a daily or weekly dietary supplement to keep your levels up.
Bananas are a cheap, healthy, and nutrient-dense fruit that can easily become a part of every individual's diet. It is one of the best fruits rich in vitamin B12. Bananas also contain fibre and potassium. It helps manage blood pressure, reduce stress, and relieve constipation and ulcer problems.
Key Points. Common causes of vitamin B12 deficiency include inadequate dietary amounts (eg, in vegans), impaired absorption, age-related decreased acid secretion, and autoimmune metaplastic atrophic gastritis (which causes pernicious anemia).
Fatigue. Megaloblastic anemia due to vitamin B-12 deficiency may lead to a person feeling fatigued. Without enough red blood cells to carry oxygen around their body, a person can feel extremely tired.
If the body does not have enough selenium, it can lead to autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto's disease and Graves' disease. Both of these conditions cause the body to create antibodies that attack the thyroid gland, leading to an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
Signs of possible copper deficiency include anemia, low body temperature, bone fractures and osteoporosis, low white blood cell count, irregular heartbeat, loss of pigment from the skin, and thyroid problems.