Although rare, biotin deficiency can cause skin rashes, brittle nails, as well as hair thinning and loss. This owes to the vitamin's role in keratin production ( 2 , 3 ).
But biotin has been shown to help with preventing balding and hair loss. In fact, biotin is primarily used for alopecia — a condition that causes hair loss in all sexes. “Biotin helps maintain hair growth and helps with inflammation,” Dr. Bergfeld says.
A handful of research studies have shown that biotin supplementation may help stimulate hair regrowth in people who have a clinical biotin deficiency or alopecia (hair loss).
Biotin supplements are often glamorized as a treatment for hair loss and to promote healthy hair, skin, and nails. Although a deficiency of biotin can certainly lead to hair loss and skin or nail problems, evidence showing a benefit of supplementation is inconclusive.
The amount of biotin suggested for hair growth usually ranges between 100 - 1,000 micrograms (mcg) daily, but this number varies based on your body's reaction to biotin.
If no home remedies work for your hair loss, use a daily biotin supplement for at least 6 months to start seeing results.
Mayo Clinic states that 10,000 mcg is a safe dose, as no adverse side effects have been noted to date. Reassuringly, even “mega doses” of 300,000 mcg found no side effects in neurological research.
Takeaway. Your body makes enough biotin on its own through your dietary intake each day. Therefore, you shouldn't take biotin supplements unless directed by your doctor. There are some rare health conditions that can cause some people to need biotin supplements on a regular basis.
Can Alopecia Be Reversed? Whether your hair loss is caused by hormones or an autoimmune disorder, regrowing your hair by using new medications and modifying your diet can be possible as long as you start treatment early.
Thankfully, technology has advanced so that you can actually grow your own hair back with a minimally-invasive, more heavy-duty treatment. With a follicular unit extraction (FUE) treatment, surgeons can transplant viable hair follicles and implant them in bald spots.
It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men. Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp. Hereditary hair loss with age is the most common cause of baldness.
Can Supplements Cause Hair Loss? Yes, overdoing vitamins and nutritional supplements can cause hair loss. In addition to excessive selenium, taking too much Vitamin A can also cause hair loss.
These data indicate that pharmacological concentrations of biotin do not affect classic liver damage tests.
Most commonly, biotin use can result in falsely high levels of T4 and T3 and falsely low levels of TSH, leading to either a wrong diagnosis of hyperthyroidism or that the thyroid hormone dose is too high.
We observed that long-term administration of biotin decreased systolic blood pressure in the SHRSP strain; also, a single dose of biotin immediately decreased systolic blood pressure in this strain.
The bottom line. There's no strong evidence to support using biotin for hair growth or to prevent hair loss in people without a deficiency. Because hair thinning and poor hair growth are sometimes associated with a biotin deficiency, correcting a deficiency can help restore hair growth in some people.
The normal recommended biotin dosage for adults is 30 to 100 micrograms (mcg) per day. But there's no evidence of high levels of biotin being harmful or causing toxicity, which is why you'll commonly see biotin supplements containing 5,000 to 10,000 mcg.
Proponents of biotin often recommend 2-5 mg. (2,000 to 5,000 mcg.) to achieve desired results. It is important that consumers know exactly how much biotin they are taking and whether the supplement is a high-quality product.
If you are experiencing thinning or balding, our Bosley experts recommend washing no more than three times a week.
Most of the websites touting biotin for hair growth recommend taking 2-5 milligrams (2,000-5,000 mcg) of biotin in supplement form each day, and many supplements are sold under the name Biotin 5000, indicating a 5000 mcg (5 mg) size.
Excess in the body is rare, and since biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, it is excreted in the urine when in excess. Signs and symptoms of biotin overdose may include and are not limited to insomnia, excessive thirst, and urination.