Your body needs to take in enough nutrients and energy to ensure it can go on growing, repairing itself and working properly. Starvation or malnutrition means you are not eating enough food, or not enough of the right kinds of food, for your body to maintain this balance. A starved body will give priority to keeping its vital internal organs going. The skin, hair and nails take lower priority, so they soon show the effects of neglect.
Disorders
Drought, famine or the physical and mental disorders that make eating difficult can all lead to starvation or malnutrition. These can take the form of various diseases, sometimes known collectively as "protein-energy malnutrition," such as marasmus, or wasting; and kwashiorkor, or insufficient protein intake. Similar results may arise from eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, and physical or neurological problems with swallowing or digestion. Any type of malnutrition can affect the skin and nails, as these need protein and energy to grow and do their job, and also the vitamins, essential fatty acids and trace elements that may be missing from a poor diet.
Skin
Starvation turns the skin dry, wrinkled and flaky, with patchy discoloration. Sores and ulcers break out, especially in elderly people, and wounds are slow to heal. Secondary infections can enter through cracks in the skin. Yellowing skin may suggest the liver is too malnourished to function properly.
Lack of zinc is associated with ulcers and cracked skin; vitamin C deficiency with bleeding. Inadequate niacin and other B-group vitamins lead to pellagra, which affects the gut and brain as well as skin. Symptoms include parched lips and patches of rough, painful and itchy skin, especially on areas exposed to the sun. The patches can become crusty or broken.
Nails
As nails grow comparatively slowly, the effects of starvation or malnutrition show up in them two to six months after onset. They may become dry and brittle due to lack of protein, calcium and essential oils such as omega-3. Ridges in the nail bed reflect lack of B vitamins, and soft or misshapen nails may indicate iron deficiency.
Remedies
Skin and nails recover once food intake is back to normal, provided starvation or disease has not damaged the body's systems beyond repair. Basically, treatment involves replacing nutrients, treating symptoms such as sores or rashes and tackling the underlying diseases. Full recovery can take a long time, as the digestive tract must learn to cope with food again. Skin lotions may help, but good nutrition is the key to long-term recovery. In the case of eating disorders, these are complex conditions that usually require a multidimensional approach, with physicians, therapists and nutritionists working together.
