Biotin Breakouts: How your hair, skin, nail supplements might actually be making your acne worse
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Biotin has been all the rage in recent years for those seeking glossier nails, glowier skin and fuller, more luxurious hair. And why the heck would someone with acne think twice about taking something as natural as biotin that is specifically clouted as being good for skin? Unfortunately, if you have acne, you SHOULD think twice or maybe even three or four times before taking a biotin supplement because it can potentially make acne much worse.
What is biotin?
Biotin (also known as vitamin B7) is a B vitamin that plays an important role in many essential functions such as gene regulation, cell signaling, and metabolization. It also plays a role in the functioning or your nervous system and, yes, your hair, skin, and nails. Although it’s an essential nutrient, most of us in developed countries ingest the recommended amount of around 30mcg a day from our regular diets since biotin can be found in a number of different foods including spinach, broccoli, whole grains, eggs, yeast, seeds, nuts, beef, dairy, pork, hamburgers, and sweet potatoes. Most supplements contain an excessive amount of biotin that far exceeds the amount our bodies actually need to maintain healthy functioning.
How does biotin affect acne?
Acne is caused by a genetic condition called Retention Hyperkeratosis that causes an overproduction of dead skin cells. When the skin overproduces skin cells, they clog up the follicles, mix with oil and other debris and set off a chain reaction that results in acne. So if acne is caused by too many skin cells and biotin promotes the growth of skin cells then of course it can exacerbate acne!
Biotin may or may not make your acne worse
Nothing is ever black and white when it comes to acne because everyone’s acne is different. Each person’s acne may different in terms of severity, type, location, and triggers so biotin may or may not be a piece of your unique acne puzzle. In order to determine whether or not biotin is actually a trigger for you, you would need to test it much like you would test an allergy. Ingestible acne triggers like certain foods, supplements, and medications take quite a while to get processed through your body and show up as visible acne on the surface of your skin so it will likely take approximately 1-3 months for you to actually be able to determine whether or not biotin is actually triggering for you.
