What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Nails to Peel?
Your nails say a lot about your health. Other than environmental factors, deficiency of some vitamins also causes peeling of nails. Nails contains a layer of pigment called keratin which helps in protecting our nails. Due to environmental factors or vitamin deficiency or underlying health condition, peeling if nails occur.
Vitamins are the nutrients which our body is unable to synthesis even in a small amount. We have to take vitamins from external sources through diet but if we don’t care about our diet then it results in many complications like the peeling of nails.
Deficiency of Vitamin D, Biotin, Iron, Calcium, Vitamin A and Zinc causes nails to peel.
Nail peeling requires our special attention. If we ignore then it will cause many other server health issues as it may be the sign of any medical illness or nutrient, vitamin deficiency which if prolong then cause serious health issues.
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What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Nails to Peel?
Deficiency of some vitamins causes peeling of nails .when you start compromising on your diet it means you are compromising on your health which turn into many complications in your body. You can get all the essential vitamins and nutrients necessary for your nails through diet.
Deficiency of vitamin A
Group of carotenoid vitamin A is very essential for your health. It boosts up your immune system, necessary for vision and healthy skin and nails.
Vitamin A is too much necessary to maintain the iron level of your body. Iron is a basic part of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a red color pigment found in your blood. This red color pigment hemoglobin carries oxygen in the blood.
For today’s question, What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Nails to Peel? This is a must. If you have an inefficient iron level in your body then your red blood cells will unable to carry an adequate amount of oxygen. So with other complications of vitamin A deficiency like pale skin, lethargy, fatigue, your nails also peel off.
If you are deficient in vitamin A then it means there is some issue with your diet. You can get the necessary amount of vitamin through diet. If you are poor in diet then it leads to many health issues including peeling of nails
How you get vitamin A naturally?
Nature has provided us everything necessary for us in a very easy way. If you are deficient in vitamin A then from natural products you can maintain it.
You get vitamin A from carrots, liver, spinach, cantaloupe and from dairy products like fortified milk and from cereals also.
Deficiency of biotin
Biotin belongs to vitamin B complex family and often referred as vitamin H.it’s deficiency doesn’t cause nail peeling but it is noticed that if peeling nails treated with biotin, it shows good results.studies and research shows that biotin is very effective in nail peeling. Vitamin H is often recommended for peeling nails.
How you can get biotin?
Although biotin supplements are available and if your physician recommends you to treat nail peeling with biotin, you can get them easily from any nearby pharmacy. You have to take 1mg pill of biotin 2 or 3 times a day for up to 3 months.
Biotin supplements are not safe in pregnancy. Don’t take biotin supplements of you are pregnant.
It’s not necessary to take biotin supplements if the condition is not much severe. Although the fastest way to achieve biotin is through biotin supplements but at the initial stage, you can get them from natural products also. List of natural products that contain biotin is given below
- Egg yolk contains biotin.it’s better to take an egg from village source .village eggs are high in biotin as compare to another source.
- Almonds in either salted, roasted or in raw form contain a high content of biotin.
- 17 mg of biotin is provided by per serving of cauliflower.
- Cheese
- Mushroom
- Sweet potatoes
- Spinach
- Avocado
- Whole grain cereals
- Peanut
- Soya nuts
- Wheat germ
Vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D is as essential for nails as for bones and teeth. Insufficient intake of vitamin D causes many health issues including nail peeling. 600 to 800 international units of vitamin D are necessary for a healthy life on a daily basis.
Vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin when not intake through diet become one of the major leading cause of peeling nails. For nail integrity, vitamin D is essential and is inadequate cause nail peeling. Vitamin D is not essential itself but it also plays a major role in calcium absorption in blood and other minerals also.
calcium is also necessary for your nail integrity and lie level of calcium also is an indication that vitamin D is not sufficient in your body.
People who live in high altitude, or those who live in a polar region or those who have very less contact with the sun are more likely to have vitamin D deficiency and on the same way, peeling of nails.
From where we can get vitamin D?
If you love yourself and want to fix peeling nails then take vitamin D on a daily basis in adequate amount. In order to get rid of nail peeling and to have an adequate concentration of vitamin D in your blood, you can get vitamin D from natural sources easily.
List of natural source of vitamin D is given below
- Sun is the major and free source of vitamin D. Sun rays when coming in contact with sun, they produce vitamin D. It is recommended to have sunbath for about 5 to 20 minutes daily is necessary for an adequate amount of vitamin D.
- Fatty fishes are the best source of vitamin D kike salmon
- Diary products
- Fortified milk
- Egg yolk
- Orange juice
- Beef liver
- Cheese
- Soy milk
- Cereals
- Mushrooms
- Yogurt
- Margarine
Iron deficiency and nails peeling
Iron is the basic part of your red blood cells and it deficient causes many of abnormalities in your body including peeling of your nails.
Iron is the basic part of hemoglobin in red blood cells. It helps hemoglobin to carry oxygen. With insufficiency of iron, your blood becomes unable to apply an adequate amount of oxygen to your body parts. Lesser the amount of oxygen supplied, greater will be the chance of abnormalities or peeling nails.
Iron deficiency is the most common among all the nutrient deficiencies worldwide. Many of the factors contribute to iron deficiency like food deficient in iron, lesser the absorption of iron by your digestive tract, massive blood loss during injury or heavy menstrual period.
Research shows that when patients with peeling nails treated with iron supplements show good results.
You can get iron through either iron supplements of through natural products.
List of natural products containing iron
- Chicken liver
- Ref meat
- Dark turkey meat
- Soya bean
- Fortified cereals
- Green leafy vegetables like broccoli, spinach.
- Egg
- Fish
- Baked potatoes
- Bread
- Pasta
- Beans
Dehydration
Dehydration occurs when you don’t drink sufficient amount of water. Your body needs an adequate amount of water to get hydrated. Almost 8 to 10 f glass of water after essential for the human body. Stay hydrated.
Zinc and nail peeling
Although it’s very rare some cases are reported where zinc deficiency causes peeling of nails. Zinc is a micronutrient in our body, a very small amount of zinc is required but is not available can cause peeling nails with other symptoms also.
Underlying medical condition
Most often peeling nails can be due to an underlying medical condition. Many of the medical illness cause nails to peel off like thyroid abnormalities, lung disease, kidney disease, anemia, etc.
Duskyskin.com Tips to prevent nails to peel
Enhance the use of healthy natural products especially dairy products and fresh vegetables. Have a balanced diet. Make a diet chart and add vegetables, dairy products, and fresh fruits and fruit juices.
Healthy, full of a nutritious diet is essential for your health including nails. For rigid, stronger nails, you have to enhance the use of protein-rich diet which will enhance the production of keratin, your nail protective layer.
Fish contains omega 3 acids which is also helpful in maintaining biotin level. You have to eat fish 2 times in a week to get an adequate amount of biotin.
Always keep your fingertips and nails clean to prevent bacterium or fungal growth.
Whenever you have to open something, don’t use your nails as it’s a common habit found in many of us to open our scratch thing with nails.
Keep a good moisture balance of your nails and avid then from dehydration
Avoid excess washing of your hands. It will snatch moisture from nails and make them dry and peeling
Whenever you have to wash clothes or dishes etc, don’t forget to wear gloves. Washing products are rich in chemicals and enough to destroy your nails. Minimize contact of your nails and hands from these chemicals as much as possible.
Keep your nails in a trimmed condition. Large nails have a greater chance of peeling at they can strike much.
Minimize the use of nail paint and nail paint remover. They come with acetone which by excessive use, remove the upper surface of your nails.
Some people naturally have soft nails. If you are one of then apply nail hardeners on your nails.
Wearing gel or acrylic nails is harmful to your nails. Avid them
Don’t spend too much time in a humid or hot place. They will snatch moisture from your nails result in peeling of nails. If necessary, then use gloves to protect your nails from harsh factors.
Lactic acid or alpha hydroxy acid are good moisturizing agents for your nails. Use of these moisturizing agents to get rid of peeling nails 3 to 4 times a day is necessary. The best time of your bedtime. Whenever you at going to bed, apply the moisturizing agent on your hands and nails. It’s better to wear gloves to lock moisture.
When to see a doctor?
Peeling nails are not a big issue and can be treated easily at home but some times the condition get worsen like nail bleeding or pain along with nail peeling. If so then it’s better to see a doctor as soon as possible because it may be the sign of any underlying medical condition and can’t be treated at home.
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