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A Vitamin Deficiency and Skin Lesions

Aug 7, 2011 | By Louise Tremblay

Healthy skin, free of lesions, helps maintain your overall health by preventing disease. Persistent or chronic skin lesions pose a serious health risk, since openings in your skin provide entry points for infectious agents, allowing these microbes to enter your body. A number of vitamin deficiencies can lead to skin lesions.

Vitamin C

A vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, deficiency might lead to the development of skin lesions. Some people with scurvy -- the disease associated with severe vitamin C deficiency -- notice an inability to heal skin sores, leading to persistent skin. In addition, vitamin C deficiency can cause old lesions to re-open, further causing skin lesions. If you notice persistent skin lesions, along with other symptoms of scurvy, such as loose teeth, talk to a doctor.

Vitamin A

A deficiency in vitamin A might also develop skin lesions. Consuming vitamin A helps maintain your skin tissue, as well as the thin mucosal skin that lines your mouth and sinuses. Without adequate vitamin A, cells within your skin cannot function properly to maintain your tissue, which can lead to the development of skin lesions. This vitamin deficiency can also affect your retinas, dampen your immune system and increase your risk of transmitting potentially deadly infections.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K deficiencies can lead to bruises, a type of skin lesion. Your body relies on vitamin K to help promote blood clotting upon injury and to help prevent excess bleeding and blood loss following tissue damage. A vitamin K deficiency can lead to internal bleeding, causing bruising under your skin. If you regularly develop bruises with no clear explanation, talk to your doctor about the possibility of a vitamin K deficiency.

Vitamin H

Another possible cause of some types of skin lesions is a biotin, or vitamin H, deficiency. A biotin deficiency can dry your skin, leaving it more vulnerable to lesions from skin-cracking. In addition, the deficiency can cause cracking lesions of the skin at the corners of your mouth. In many cases, biotin deficiency occurs due to interactions with medication or an underlying disease. If you develop dry skin and skin lesions, seek medical attention to address the possibility of a biotin deficiency.

References

Article reviewed by William H Last updated on: Aug 7, 2011

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