Dull Skin And Calcium Deficiency

Avoiding dull skin requires comprehensive skin care. It means paying attention to daily cleansing and moisturizing, getting enough exercise and consuming adequate fluids and nutrition. Vitamins A and C and the B-vitamins are well-known for their influence on skin, but calcium also has an important role. A deficiency in calcium can lead to dull-appearing skin.

Skin Structure

Your skin is composed of multiple layers with different functions, but calcium is most important for the top layer, or epidermis. The epidermis forms a barrier -- often called the lipid barrier -- that protects the body from infection, dehydration, injury and external stressors, such as pollution. The primary cells in the epidermis, called keratinocytes, consist of proteins, enzymes and lipids. Calcium helps you avoid dry and dull skin by regulating these vital enzymes and lipids.

Lipid Barrier

Since lipids are fats that do not dissolve in water, the lipid barrier protects skin from losing moisture and that helps keep your skin in good condition. As the barrier adapts to changes in the environment, calcium maintains the right amount of lipids by stimulating their production as needed. One example of how this works occurs when humidity, or moisture in the air, is low. Calcium responds by telling the body to increase the amount of lipids. As a result, the epidermis thickens and that prevents moisture from leaving your skin. Lack of calcium interferes with maintaining the lipid barrier, which leads to dry skin and possibly to premature aging, psoriasis or dermatitis. Low calcium in the skin also might increase your risk of skin cancer.

Cell Renewal

The epidermis must continuously respond to changes in the environment and repair itself. Calcium is part of the process that regulates the regeneration of keratinocytes by telling the body whether it needs to increase or decrease cells and when to make them. In addition to calcium ions that serve as messengers, the amount of calcium in the epidermis tells the body whether its protective barrier is being maintained. Calcium’s importance to the skin is demonstrated by the fact that levels of calcium in the epidermis increase in response to normal wear and tear on the skin. Skin stays healthy through ongoing cell renewal, in which old cells are being shed as they’re being replaced with new ones. Lack of calcium interferes with this normal exfoliation, leaving more layers of dead cells and contributing to dull skin.

Antioxidants

Catalase is an antioxidant that’s important throughout your body, but it’s also a primary antioxidant in the skin. Obtaining plenty of antioxidants in your diet is essential to support your skin's ability to fight the damaging effects of sunlight and other environmental pollutants. Many sources state that calcium regulates catalase but, as of publication, research shows conflicting information about how it works. While calcium certainly has a role in how antioxidants function, more research is needed to define its exact role in the skin.