People go to great lengths to achieve lustrous hair, strong nails, and glowing skin. Looks certainly aren’t everything, but there’s just something confidence-boosting about looking good and feeling your best at all times.
This is why more and more women take Biotin supplements in hopes of keeping their hair, nails, and skin healthy. But, to their surprise, Biotin does them more harm than good. In particular, Biotin interacts with other vitamins, causing acne breakouts.
What is Biotin
Biotin goes by the names vitamin B7 and vitamin H. The vitamin is necessary for converting food into energy. It’s also critical in rebuilding tissues and promoting cell growth. If your diet doesn’t contain enough Biotin, you can expect hair loss, brittle nails, and itchy skin.
Impressive Benefits of Biotin
Biotin Rebuilds Tissues – Tissues don’t last forever as they break down and sustain damage. This is why the human body relies on B vitamins for rebuilding tissues. In addition to helping tissues grow, Biotin also alleviates muscle pains and joint inflammations. So, if you continually experience these conditions, a biotin supplement might be just your best option for rebuilding tissues.
Biotin Thickens Hair – Perhaps the most obvious reason why women are glued to Biotin supplements is Biotin makes their hair healthier. Biotin stimulates hair growth, thickening the hair and making it appear lustrous. This makes Biotin attractive for those with unhealthy hair loss and dry, brittle hair or those who want their hair to look its best.
Biotin Strengthens Nails – Along with making hair appear healthier, Biotin is famous for significant nail health improvement. Taking Biotin supplements have been shown to decrease the occurrence of nail breakage and splitting. This means that Biotin improves nail strength in both men and women.
Biotin Improves Skin – Biotin improves and nourishes the skin from the inside out. It helps to create a youthful glow in people struggling with their outer appearance. However, it’s worth noting that too much Biotin can lead to more serious conditions like acne to arise.
How does Too Much Biotin Cause Acne
Biotin improves skin conditions, so why is it considered the culprit for acne breakouts? The truth is, Biotin doesn’t have direct effects on acne, but it may trigger it indirectly.
In most cases, the interaction of Biotin with vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid causes acne flare-ups. These vitamins have an inverse relationship such that vitamin B5 decreases when Biotin increases. So, when you take Biotin supplements, significantly above the recommended dose, there’s a chance that you’d be Vitamin B5 deficient. Not absorbing the nutrition B5 in your diet implies that your skin is more likely susceptible to breakouts. Hence, it’s not the Biotin that causes acne. But, it depletes your body’s pantothenic acid, thereby triggering acne breakouts.
How Much Biotin is Too Much
Usually, 2.5 mg of Biotin is enough for daily intake. There are instances when you might need to take more than the recommended dose of Biotin, though. However, it would be best if you were getting the signal from your doctor in these instances. For example, if you’re pregnant or nursing a baby, you might need more Biotin than others. The reason for this is to promote fetal and child development.
During pregnancy, you’re less likely to receive enough of the vitamin naturally daily. This may lead to severe congenital disabilities; thus, why your doctor may recommend that you supplement your regular diet with additional Biotin.
Similarly, you may not provide enough Biotin in your breast milk, and this can cause biotin deficiency in your baby.
The bacteria in your gut naturally synthesizes Biotin, so unless you are advised to take a Biotin supplement, you probably should not be taking it. But, if your doctor says that you need Biotin in your system, be sure to do your research.
If you want to play it safe, ensure that the supplement has gone through independent lab testing. This is the only way to ensure the safety of what you’re putting into your body. If you are an expecting or new mother, make sure to talk with your doctor or dermatologist to get an educated recommendation on the dosage.
Tips to Prevent Acne Breakouts
While Biotin’s effects can vary from person to person, the tips to prevent acne are simple enough to add to your lifestyle.
Take Pantothenic Acid Supplements
The best way to take Biotin supplements without risking acne breakouts is also to take pantothenic acid supplements. In general, it’s smart to take both supplements altogether so that you won’t suffer from vitamin B5 deficiency.
Get Biotin from Natural Sources
It’s generally preferable to get Biotin from natural sources for various reasons. These include better absorption and extra, complementary nutrients. More than anything, Biotin from natural sources is less likely to trigger breakouts.
If you’re keen on getting Biotin from natural sources, fill up your diet with nuts, seeds, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, pork, salmon, avocado, eggs, yeast, and beef liver. These foods have a relatively high content of Biotin.
Follow a Healthy Skin Diet
What you put into your body directly impacts your skin, so try to follow a healthy skin diet. Common foods that trigger acne breakouts are fried or fatty foods, carbohydrates, high-glycemic foods, dairy products, and refined sugar. When you consume high sugar and carbohydrates, your blood sugar level rises, triggering your pancreas to produce excess insulin levels. This causes the sebaceous glands in your skin to produce more sebum, increasing the risk for a breakout.
The best foods for healthy skin are colorful fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, leafy greens, seeds, beans, legumes, nuts, and fatty fish. Food with anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants are incredibly healthy for your skin as well. By taking care of your skin health, you can reduce the chances of breakouts. But, what do you do if you have existing acne?
Avoid Popping that Pimple!
As tempting and satisfying as it may be, do not pop your pimple nor touch it. If you pop that pimple, you are running the risk of forcing the pus and bacteria deeper into your skin. This increases inflammation and worsens your pimple. If you don’t want your pimple to develop into acne, the best thing you can do is wait for it to pass. You can also try to keep your face clean at all times.
You may think that it’s okay to touch your acne as long as you wash your hands reasonably often. Yet, your hands are home to plenty of bacteria and germs. By touching your face, you’re already transferring the germs and bacteria from your hands. This could clog your pores and trigger acne breakouts. Therefore, even if you wash your hands multiple times a day, it’s still especially crucial to avoid touching active breakouts.
Keep Your Skin Moisturized
During acne breakouts, adding more moisture to your face sounds like the least exciting thing to do. But, dry skin produces more oil which causes more acne. As a protective barrier, your skin is made up of fat, water, and other substances. When your skin gets extra dry, the sebaceous glands produce more sebum which sits on the surface and clogs the pores. Keeping your skin moisturized, therefore, helping prevent more breakouts.
The best way to moisturize your skin is to use a moisturizer that blends oil and water. This naturally hydrates your skin and prevents acne. Additionally, a moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin help lock in moisture, keeping your skin looking good all day long.
We recommend that you wash your face with warm water before moisturizer application. When applying moisturizer, do not rub too hard but spread it gently into your skin. It’s also equally important to use a moisturizer that doesn’t contain drying agents for optimal hydration.