Vitamin D3 and its analogues and precursors play an important complex role in the regulation of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, including in the skin [8,184,185]. There is a clear connection between vitamin D deficiency and incidences of infections and immune-mediated skin diseases [31,186,187,188].
A comparative study of serum levels of 25(OH)D in adolescents with and without acne was published in PloS One in 2016. The patients with acne had lower vitamin D levels than the healthy controls and an inverse relationship was observed between vitamin D levels and the severity and number of inflammatory acne lesions.
It further helps prevent dead cell buildup by increasing cell turnover, which also helps your skin heal faster. But if you're deficient in vitamin D, some of the common problems you might experience include dullness, sullen-looking skin, patchiness, increased fine lines and wrinkles as well as dryness and acne.
In addition to being an important nutrient for your overall health, Vitamin D is also beneficial to your skin as it has antimicrobial properties that can help reduce inflammatory symptoms of acne.
Safety and side effects
However, taking too much vitamin D in the form of supplements can be harmful. Children age 9 years and older, adults, and pregnant and breastfeeding women who take more than 4,000 IU a day of vitamin D might experience: Nausea and vomiting. Poor appetite and weight loss.
Some of the key symptoms signalling low vitamin D levels include hair loss or thinning, fatigue, bone/muscle weakness, frequent sickness, depression and impaired wound healing. If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, it's completely valid to feel concerned.
Medical conditions that can cause vitamin D deficiency include: Cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease and celiac disease: These conditions can prevent your intestines from adequately absorbing enough vitamin D through supplements, especially if the condition is untreated.
Skin lesions associated with vitamin B12 deficiency are skin hyperpigmentation, vitiligo, angular stomatitis, and hair changes. Cutaneous lesions that do not respond to conventional therapy can be an indication of vitamin B12 deficiency. Malabsorption is the most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency.
By countering oxidative damage, vitamin D may help reduce aging signs, including sagging, loose skin.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures (broken bones). Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases: In children, it can cause rickets. Rickets is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend.
Obesity, polluted environments, and malabsorption syndromes (such as Crohn's disease) are just some factors that can increase the time it takes for vitamin D supplements to increase vitamin D levels. Research has found that vitamin D insufficiency resolved with 12 weeks of weekly high-dose vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency has been found to be associated with a variety of cancers, including prostate, multiple myeloma, colorectal and breast cancer.
Some emerging evidence suggests that vitamin D can help with the symptoms of acne for those who have a vitamin D deficiency. Exposure to sunlight is a significant source of vitamin D. People might also get vitamin D from supplements or creams. People with vitamin D deficiencies are more susceptible to acne.
Some research has shown that a vitamin D deficiency may be connected with several skin conditions, including psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, the latter an allergic reaction that comes with an itchy, scaly rash, usually on your face, elbows, and knees.
But how do you flush vitamin D out of your system – and can you even do that? Yes, by ensuring you consume plenty of water. This will encourage urination, allowing your body to shed the excess vitamin D and calcium more quickly. Prescription diuretics like furosemide can also be helpful.
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.
The effect of equivalent oral doses of vitamin D3 600 IU/day, 4200 IU/week and 18,000 IU/month on vitamin D status was compared in a randomized clinical trial in nursing home residents. A daily dose was more effective than a weekly dose, and a monthly dose was the least effective.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with the risk of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, and several clinical/observational studies have suggested the beneficial effect of vitamin D in the therapy of these 2 inflammatory skin disorders.
Because vitamin D is fat soluble, its absorption depends on the gut's ability to absorb dietary fat [4]. Fat malabsorption is associated with medical conditions that include some forms of liver disease, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis [1,63].
So, when it comes to vitamin d deficiency treatments, how long till you start to feel better? Those with the lowest levels should feel an improvement after just a few days, while those who only need to top up their levels may have to wait a week or two before they begin to feel healthier and more energised.