The body uses vitamin A to help with vision and hair growth, however, high levels of vitamin A can have a converse effect and contribute to hair loss. Avoid taking excessive vitamin supplements that could cause a spike in your vitamin A. Certain medications can also be responsible for elevated vitamin A levels, particularly retinoids commonly used to treat acne and psoriasis. While you are taking retinoids there is not much you can do about hair loss, says Dr. Shapiro. However, once you stop medication or excessive supplements, your hair should resume its normal growth. One other vitamin to pay attention to: vitamin D. Though studies are not conclusive, some research suggests that low levels of vitamin D and iron can cause thinning hair in women. Ask your doctor to test your vitamin D and iron levels, and discuss whether or not you should take a vitamin supplement. What if your habits aren't the cause? There are many other reasons your hair may be thinning: Some prescription medications, like those used to treat arthritis, depression, and high blood pressure can cause hair to fall out.
Auto-immune diseases like lupus cause the body to attack it's own healthy cells, including skin and scalp, which can lead to hair loss.Talk to your doctor and ask her to test your thyroid to make sure it's functioning properly—hair loss can be a sign of hypothyroidism.As women age and hormones change there can be a surge of the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which can cause hair on the head to thin, while hair to sprout on the chin and face.According to the ADD, 80 million men and women experience alopecia, or common hereditary hair loss. If your habits aren't causing your hair to thin, talk to your doctor. 8 spring dresses that hide a belly 7 secrets to the haircut that will make you look younger 8 best face moisturizers under $15 Start here, with the latest stories and news in progressive parenting.Published 11 months ago, by We all know two things when it comes to our skin: we should never spend too long out in the sun because of the risk of skin cancer and we need sunlight to get enough vitamin D.
These two facts may seem like they oppose each other directly. How on earth do you get enough sun without getting too much? And what happens to your skin when you fail to get enough vitamin D?EczemaThis itchy skin disorder shows itself as a nasty rash that is dry, rough and very irritating. It is thought to be caused by an immune system dysfunction, but doctors really don’t know how it happens or how to treat it. Some studies have shown that vitamin D can be effective in its treatment whether the vitamin comes from direct sunlight or a supplement.SweatingA deficiency in vitamin D can cause your skin to sweat and is considered to be one of the first signs. In fact this is how it is diagnosed in babies. Sweating can cause your skin to become dry and irritated so upping your vitamin D could help.AcneVitamin D is thought to reduce inflammation on your skin and therefore could help with acne. Due to its action on your blood insulin response, your acne breakouts could be vastly improved too.
This lowering of inflammation is going to help with general skin health too.WrinklesVitamin D is also thought to help with fine lines and wrinkles - mostly through its ability to act as an antioxidant. This helps your body to fight off free-radicals which are thought to cause lines on our skin and the general deterioration that comes as we get older.So, should I get more sun on my skin?It might be tempting to simply lie out in the sun and soak it up to improve the look and feel of your skin. But this may backfire and may not even get you the results you want.A study released this month in The Endocrine Society has indicated that as your skin is exposed to more sunlight and begins to tan, it actually begins to block the amount of vitamin D that it can synthesise. So even if you get plenty of sun, it may not being giving you the vitamin D boost that you need. The research appears to show that we produce the most vitamin D when our skin is more pale - making it clear that short bursts of sunlight or supplements are best for preventing skin cancer and for improving our vitamin D uptake.
You can get vitamin D safely by doing the following:Spend no more than 20 to 30 minutes in the sun each day, but expose your arms and face to absorb as much of the radiation as possible. Only do this in the morning and not when the sun is at its hottest.Use sunscreen at other times if you are outdoors.Avoid getting a tan.Try a vitamin D supplement especially during the winter and eat foods rich is vitamin D such as oily fish and vegetables.So enjoy the sun, but at the same time be aware of the potential consequences. Topical Vitamin D appears help acne (oil, cream, or paste made from capsules) Putting vitamin D on an affected area for a few days often clears up acne An acne clinical trial with Vitamin D intervention is underway (More acne info below) Learn how Vitamin D is essential for good health Watch a 5 minute video "Does Less Sun Mean more Disease?" Browse for other Health Problems and D in left column Click D, D+, D++ in menu above
Serum Vitamin D levels and Vitamin D supplementation do not correlate with the severity of chronic eczema in children March 2015 Results"Vitamin D concentrations in patients with moderate and severe eczema were not statistically different from Vitamin D concentration detected in the serum of patients with mild eczema. Furthermore, we did not find any correlation between Vitamin D levels, total IgEs and SCORAD index, both in the Sensitized and in the Not-Sensitized group. The Vitamin D3 supplementation did not influence the SCORAD severity or the total IgEs concentration."Perhaps because they did not use topical vitamin D? Associations of maternal and fetal 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels with childhood eczema. The Generation R Study.[Epub ahead of print] Gazibara T1,2,3,4, Elbert NJ1,5, den Dekker HT1,2,3, de Jongste JC2, Reiss I6, McGrath JJ7,8, Eyles DW7,8, Burne TH7,8, Tiemeier H3,9,10, Jaddoe VW1,3,11, Pasmans SG5, Duijts L2,3,6. Exposure to low levels of vitamin D in fetal life might affect the developing immune system, and subsequently the risk of childhood eczema.