What Is A Normal Vitamin D Level
A normal vitamin D level is considered to be between 20 and 50 ng/mL. Anything below 20 ng/mL is considered a deficiency, and anything above 50 ng/mL is considered toxicity.
Vitamin D supplements are available in both pill and liquid form. They can be found over the counter at most pharmacies or online.
If you are deficient in vitamin D, taking a supplement is the best way to raise your levels. However, you should speak with your doctor before starting any new supplement, as too much vitamin D can be toxic.
Getting outside in the sun is one of the best ways to raise your vitamin D levels. The sun’s ultraviolet rays trigger the body to produce vitamin D. Just spending a few minutes outside each day can help raise your levels.
Other Causes Of Hair Loss
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are many common causes associated with hair loss:
- Androgenetic alopecia: known hereditary hair loss or male/female pattern baldness. A 2017 study found a link between female pattern baldness and vitamin D deficiency.
- Age: hair growth naturally slows as you age.
- Alopecia areata: an autoimmune condition.
- Cancer treatment: such as chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
- Hormonal imbalance: can be caused by several reasons, such as polycystic ovary syndrome or starting/stopping birth control.
- Telogen effluvium: temporary hair loss that can occur after stress, shock, or a traumatic event. Although not considered the leading cause, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to telogen effluvium.
- Medication: there is a wide range of drugs that can contribute to hair loss, like certain acne medications, antibiotics, immunosuppressants, and more.
- Pregnancy/childbirth: often due to hormonal imbalance or stress levels.
- Certain illnesses: such as thyroid disease, skin infections, and conditions like psoriasis.
- Types of hair care and styles: using tight hairstyles or harsh chemicals on your hair.
- Essential vitamins and mineral deficiencies: such as vitamin D, iron, protein, and zinc.
As there are so many factors to consider, you should speak to your healthcare practitioner if you are worried about your hair loss. Since vitamin D has been linked to several hair loss causes, they might want to explore if you are deficient in vitamin D.
Does Vitamin D3 Help With Hair Loss
600 international units , or 15 micrograms , of vitamin D per day.
However, many experts agree that this daily recommendation is likely too low to reach optimal blood levels, which most experts agree lies between 30 and 60 nanograms per milliliter .
People can find out their vitamin D levels and whether or not they are deficient by asking their doctor for a blood test.
Few foods contain significant amounts of vitamin D, but the following foods are among the best sources:
- fish, such as salmon or swordfish
- mushrooms
- fortified orange juice
- fortified milk
Sun exposure is also essential, as this enables the body to produce vitamin D. People should remember to wear sunscreen , however, as too much sun exposure over time can lead to skin damage.
Vitamin D supplements are available for purchase online, but a person should always check with their doctor before taking any vitamins.
That said, vitamin D supplements are relatively safe, and toxicity is extremely rare.
However, taking vitamin D in very high doses can lead to toxicity that may result in severe complications. An excessively high dose would be over 150 ng/ml .
Cases of vitamin D toxicity are typically related to inappropriate dosing. To prevent problems, a person should ask their doctor to test their vitamin D levels and suggest a suitable dosage.
Taking vitamin D with a meal that contains fat will improve the absorption of this vitamin.
B vitamins are essential for metabolism and nervous system function.
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How Are Vitamin D And Hair Growth Connected
The hair follicle is just another part of the body that is regulating by Vitamin D. In a paper published in 2012, researchers found that VDR is important in regulating the skins biology. Vitamin D was shown to be important for cell proliferation and differentiation in the hair growth cycle.
Another study in 2016 showed that mice lacking VDR had delayed wound healing due to lack of stem cell activation, and this, in turn, would affect both the interfollicular epidermis and the hair follicles.
Although there are few double-blind, placebo-controlled studies looking at the effect of Vitamin D on hair loss and hair regrowth, we do have one interesting study from 2014 with 4 Egyptian families who had mutations in their Vitamin D receptor gene.
This mutation caused rickets and other health issues. One of the problems they had also experienced was hair loss . One of the patients had successful hair regrowth from complete hair loss after receiving vitamin D.
To understand how successful vitamin D could be in hair regrowth, more studies would have to be done and also controlled for many variables. Correcting deficiencies earlier on would likely yield more positive results.
And of course, these were extreme cases. Most people do not have such mutations in the vitamin D receptor gene but become low in vitamin D from lack of sun exposure.
Using A Vitamin D Supplement
The Harvard School of Public Health says the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin D is 600 IU daily for adults 19 years and older.
For adults 70 and up, its 800 IU daily. If you dont get much vitamin D naturally, using a supplement such as vitamin D3 may be helpful. Vitamin D supplements are inexpensive and widely available.
If you have a high risk of vitamin D deficiency due to a health condition or other factor, your healthcare provider may suggest using a larger dosage of vitamin D than the typical recommended dietary allowance.
For optimal results, follow your healthcare providers instructions and use your vitamin D supplement only as recommended. Do not take excessive amounts of vitamin D from a supplement, as this may cause health problems.
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Are There Other Vitamins That Help With Hair Loss
B-vitamins are essential for the health of your hair. Biotin, in particular, is a water soluble vitamin that helps with the growth of new hair and nails. Deficiencies in biotin can lead to hair loss and brittle nails.
Other vitamins that are important for hair health include vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins help to keep the scalp healthy and can promote hair growth.
Why Is Vitamin D Important
An essential nutrient that your body needs, vitamin D is beneficial in several ways. Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium and make your bones stronger. It also regulates the immune system and plays a role in cell growth. When it comes to your hair, vitamin D is vital as it helps create new hair follicles, which promotes hair growth. It also helps to make your hair thicker.
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Vitamin D Plays A Part In The Hair Cycle
In a new study published this week in The Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, a duo of dermatologists in India stated: “Vitamin D is intricately involved in various signaling pathways of growth and differentiation of hair follicles.”
Recognizing that Vitamin D has been shown to affect the hair cycle, they set out to conduct their own investigation of Vitamin D as “a potential therapeutic modality in hair loss.”
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Getting Enough Vitamin D
600 international units , or 15 micrograms , of vitamin D per day.
However, many experts agree that this daily recommendation is likely too low to reach optimal blood levels, which most experts agree lies between 30 and 60 nanograms per milliliter .
People can find out their vitamin D levels and whether or not they are deficient by asking their doctor for a blood test.
Few foods contain significant amounts of vitamin D, but the following foods are among the best sources:
- fish, such as salmon or swordfish
- mushrooms
- fortified orange juice
- fortified milk
Sun exposure is also essential, as this enables the body to produce vitamin D. People should remember to wear sunscreen , however, as too much sun exposure over time can lead to skin damage.
Vitamin D supplements are available for purchase online, but a person should always check with their doctor before taking any vitamins.
That said, vitamin D supplements are relatively safe, and toxicity is extremely rare.
However, taking vitamin D in very high doses can lead to toxicity that may result in severe complications. An excessively high dose would be over 150 ng/ml .
Cases of vitamin D toxicity are typically related to inappropriate dosing. To prevent problems, a person should ask their doctor to test their vitamin D levels and suggest a suitable dosage.
Taking vitamin D with a meal that contains fat will improve the absorption of this vitamin.
B vitamins are essential for metabolism and nervous system function.
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How To Get Your Dose Of Vitamin D For Treating Hair Loss
Dermatologists can prescribe taking vitamin D supplementation for hair loss treatment in different forms. A person could increase their vitamin D level for hair care through topical products, oral supplements, and incorporating vitamin-rich food in their diet.
- Vitamin D topical creams Using hair care creams and serums with vitamin D as their active ingredient can help patients with symptoms of alopecia areata. The most common vitamin D hair growth product is Calcipotriol, which is a prescription topical medication that can help improve scalp condition and alopecia disorders.
- Oral supplements Patients could also take vitamin D in capsules or tablets form. Taking the vitamin orally can help improve vitamin D levels to restore good health to body, skin, and hair.
- Diet changes Doctors also recommend that following a healthy diet is the best way to correct vitamin D deficiencies and maintain healthy hair. There are plenty of food sources rich in vitamin D like fatty fish, leafy vegetables, orange juice, soy milk, cereal, meat, and liver.
How To Treat Vitamin D Deficiency Hair Loss
There are three ways to treat vitamin D deficiency hair loss. Choosing a suitable way depends upon the severity of your hair loss. It is always better to get your dose of vitamin D from all possible resources as it plays an exceptional role in stimulating cell growth and creating new hair follicles.
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How Does Vitamin Help Hair Growth
Did you know that vitamin deficiency doesnt just affect your teeth, eyes or skin? If you need an added reason to be careful of your diet, a lack of vitamins stunts hair growth and leads to hair fall. There are several types of vitamins that are responsible for strengthening your roots and brittle locks, regenerating hair cells and promoting growth.
What Happens If You Have Too Much Vitamin D
Although its important to take in a certain minimum amount of vitamin D for optimal health, its definitely possible to get too much vitamin D.
Your body limits the amount of vitamin D that it will produce due to sun exposure. This means that theres no real risk of you overdosing on vitamin D if you spend too much time outside on a sunny day, although there are obviously other risks involved in excessive sun exposure.
However, overusing vitamin D supplements can cause something called vitamin D toxicity a potentially harmful condition that can cause nausea, vomiting, constipation, weakness, weight loss, reduced appetite, heart rhythm problems and even damage to your kidneys.
To avoid vitamin D toxicity, only use vitamin D supplements as recommended by your healthcare provider or other healthcare professional.
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You Need More Vitamin D So Does Your Hair
Vitamin D is a critical nutrient. It bolsters our immune system and wards off illness. It is vital for bone health. Some research suggests that insufficient amounts of vitamin D contribute to depression, heart disease, and cancer. Vitamin D also plays an important role in the strength and growth of hair, and a lack of this nutrient has been linked to alopecia, also known as spot baldness.
Our primary source of vitamin D is the sun . We can also get vitamin D from foods rich in the nutrient, such as fish, fish liver oil, eggs, and dairy, as well as through supplements.
New Study Suggests Global Vitamin D Problem
While we have known about the importance of vitamin D for a while, a new study is raising alarms about widespread vitamin D deficiency around the world. The Big Vitamin D Mistake, a paper by Finnish researchers, argues that current recommended levels of vitamin D are too low, and that actions are urgently needed to protect the global population from vitamin D deficiency.
The Vitamin D Council agrees and says that the current recommendations for vitamin D supplementation are far too low to help the majority of individuals to reach healthy vitamin D levels. That is why we recommend supplementing with between 5,000-10,000 IU per day in order to achieve healthy vitamin D levels .
Vitamin D and Hair Loss
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How Long Will It Take For Vitamin D To Reverse Hair Loss
Hair growth cycle takes months, so even if you start correcting your vitamin D levels, you wont likely see any significant benefit for at least three months.
However, I generally advise people that they should wait at least 6 months before evaluating whether or not something has worked.
This is because we can go through at least one or two cycles before the hair follicle functions normally again and produces hair that is both visible and strong. And is able to reach terminal length without falling out too early.
The earlier you catch the deficiency, the more chance you have of regrowing your hair.
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Serum Vitamin D Levels And Hair Fall In Women
In a study looked at a student population in South India, researchers investigated the connection between hair loss and serum levels of vitamin D.
44 participants in the study were enrolled and the mean age was 20 years. Among females, those with low serum levels of vitamin D were more likely to have diffuse hair loss.
However, it should be noted that the limitation of this study was that the results were subjected. There was no hair counts done to objectively measure these results.
That being said, given the evidence that vitamin D is important for hair growth, its something that should be investigated further.
How Vitamin D Deficiency And Hair Loss Affects Your Hair
Research published in Dermatology Online Journal shows that a vitamin D deficiency can lead to hair loss. But does vitamin D help hair growth?
Vitamin D supports optimal levels of keratinocytes, the primary cell type found in the epidermis of the skin, and vitamin D receptors play an important role in the anagen cycle of hair growth, which is when the hair grows.
So, insufficient levels of this vitamin can affect how thick your hair feels. If you are experiencing severe hair loss, you may want to have your levels tested, as vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to alopecia, as reported in the British Journal of Dermatology.
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