If You've Hit A Wall Combating Dry Skin, You May Be Lacking This Vitamin
Dry skin doesn't only present as flaking. It can also show up as general redness, a tight feeling over the face, and even extra oil (it may seem counterintuitive to associate oil with dry skin, but some people's skin can produce more oil to compensate for a lack of moisture). But no matter what your dry skin looks like, it's pretty much always frustrating and uncomfortable.
So let’s look into the relationship between vitamin D and hydrated skin.
Vitamin D is an essential micronutrient involved in nearly every single bodily system and function, including immune support, bone health, muscle function and more. It only makes sense that the sunshine vitamin has a stake in the skin care game as well.
One randomised controlled trial in the journal Nutrients found a relationship between vitamin D insufficiency and dry skin. Researchers discovered that participants with lower vitamin D levels also had lower average skin moisture. "Our finding suggests a relationship between serum vitamin D3 levels and hydration of the stratum corneum [aka, the surface layer of your skin]," the report reads.
In terms of how, exactly, the vitamin affects skin health, we know that vitamin D has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help protect skin cells.Plus, vitamin D plays a crucial role in thyroid health as it helps regulate the production of thyroid hormones. These thyroid hormones play a key role in keeping your hair, skin, and nails youthful and strong (in addition to influencing metabolism, mood, sleep, etc.).
In addition, we know that vitamin D is very important for the hair follicle and therefore hair growth. In fact, vitamin D is one of the fat-soluble vitamins needed for maintaining and creating functioning hair follicles
I don’t have the relevant UK figures but 93% of Americans have a dietary vitamin D gap and many are insufficient or deficient in vitamin D. If you are concerned about your levels, ask your GP for a test.