Biotin for Hair Growth: is it a a Good Idea?

Biotin is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin. B-complex vitamins help the body convert food into fuel to produce energy, and are needed for the nervous system to function properly.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, B-complex vitamins are also needed for healthy hair, skin, eyes, and liver. Biotin is needed by the body to metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids, the building blocks for protein. Hair Loss Evolution has great tips for biotin and hair loss.

Deficiencies in biotin can affect hair, nails, and skin, which may be why many people increase their biotin intake to support healthy nails. Symptoms of biotin deficiency can include hair loss, dry scaly skin, rash around the mouth, eyes, and nose, and brittle fingernails.

True deficiencies of biotin are rare, and are usually found only in a few situations. Prolonged consumption of raw egg whites can interfere with biotin absorption. Prolonged intravenous feeding can lead to nutritional deficiencies, including a shortage of Biotin.

Those taking anti-seizure medication or antibiotics long-term, and those with conditions like Crohn's disease, may also be more likely to have a biotin deficiency.

One thing you should know is that thinning hair and losing hair can be a normal part of ageing.

Age also makes hair become finer. However, according to WebMD, thinning of your hair may also be due to other causes or factors such as genes, chemotherapy treatments, overstyling of your hair,stress, thyroid problems etc.

Some men and women may start showing signs of receding hairline along temples as a result of these factors.

Biotin definitely helps with hair thinning. Lack of Biotin or biotin deficiency is a condition is usually identified by its symptoms such thinning of the hair. This therefore means biotin is good for hair since without it your hair will thin.

Taking the right dosage is important when it comes to just about any pill or supplement for growing hair back after a bout of hair loss. But what is the right biotin dosage for men with hair loss problems? The truth is that you do not need a lot of biotin in your system to stop the loss of hair.

Your body probably produces enough by itself – just enough for your needs. However, when you want to treat hair loss in men and women, the right dosage becomes crucial.

The appropriate dosage of biotin for hair loss will depend on two important aspects of the person taking the pills. These are, your health condition and your age

The daily intakes of Biotin have, been set to the following limits for people who are trying to grow hair and do away with the problem of hair loss:

• 7 micrograms for children below 12 months
• 8 micrograms for children between 1 and 3 years
• 12 micrograms of biotin for children between 4 and 8 years
• 20 mcg for those aged 9 to thirteen years
• 25 mcg for ages fourteen to eighteen and finally
• 30 mcg for adults above 18 years

These limits have been set by the Institute of Medicine.

The rate at which your hair grow will grow and thicken when taking Biotin may vary from person to person. However, there’s no rate that has been set as standard.

Most users have reported that biotin takes 2-3 weeks to start showing results. For some people it may up to six months or more. For others it will take forever meaning that they wont see results.

Biotin 1000 mcg

A significant number of individuals (especially those who lack sufficient biotin in their body) have reported that this specific biotin supplementation has greatly helped them regrow their hair.

This is just anecdotal evidence meaning that there is not enough scientific information to back up these reports. But if it has worked for someone, it might also work for you.



Biotin 5000 mcg

Many people claim to have grown their hair longer and thicker while using 5000mcg of biotin daily taken in two halves – in the morning and evening. However, this does not seem to work for everyone.

Since this does not seem to work for everyone, it is advisable to start at a lesser dose say 2500mcg and make a gradual increase as you document your progress on photos until you get to the amount that works specifically for you.



Biotin 10000 mcg

It is recommended that you should not exceed 10000mcg per day. Do not attempt to take this dosage especially if you have not tried the smaller dosages.

Below are some of the know bad effects of biotin.

• Skin eruptions/breakout
• Itchiness of the skin
• Rash and
• In extreme cases, eosinophilic pleuropericardial effusion.

While biotin can be very beneficial for hair growth, it is not a guarantee taking Biotin will be an instant fix for your hair growth.

"You can't hurry your nails, which grow at a fixed rate of about a millimeter a month," says dermatologist Bruce Robinson. However, if biotin can decrease nail splitting and increase nail thickness, it might appear nails are growing faster because they are not breaking off as quickly.

Biotin and other B-complex vitamins are not the only supplements linked to healthy nails. Deficiencies in a number of essential minerals can also lead to unhealthy nails that may be brittle, dry, or break easily. A good multivitamin with adequate amounts of B vitamins (including Biotin), plus minerals may help nails to be stronger.

If you think your fingernails appear unhealthy, be sure to ask a dermatologist or doctor to look at them. Unhealthy nails may be an indication of an underlying health condition that needs to be addressed.