View Full Version : could biotin be making my nails flake off?
kam.pearson
August 17th, 2012, 01:45 PM
I am taking a low dose (800 mcg) of biotin a day, thinking it would help my nails and hair a little. I've been taking it for a few months and my hair seems the same, but my nails are flaking. Not breaking off but flaking, pretty much all my nails and it looks really bad. They eventually get thin after flaking a few layers and break unless I cut them very short. I don't bite my nails, and I've been using a nail cream on them thinking maybe they were dry but it hasn't helped. What do you super vitamin savvy people think?
salamander
August 17th, 2012, 01:56 PM
Sounds like physical damage to me, have you been submerging your nails in water more often? Dishwasher broke and you had to start handwashing or something like that? I also have been known to get it when I'm under a lot of stress, though, so if you went through a stressful period a few months ago that could contribute. If you were really stressed out about your dishwasher breaking then we'd know the culprit! :)
pepperminttea
August 17th, 2012, 02:11 PM
When I start a new regime it normally takes about six months to see the difference in my nails, so my bet would be on something other than the Biotin. :hmm:
Accalia
August 17th, 2012, 02:18 PM
Hmmm I had the same thing going on. After 2 months biotin my nails started to flake off. I wondered where it came from. Maybe it was the biotin, cause i hadn't any flaking off before. However, it stopped after 1,5 month. So if it's from the biotin, it will probably stabilize.
teal
August 17th, 2012, 02:20 PM
I personally noticed that my nails were in the worst state when I wasn't eating properly or drinking enough water. You could also try massaging your cuticles to improve circulation there... you'd have to wait a bit for results to show, though.
Miss Catrina
August 18th, 2012, 10:43 AM
That's the exact opposite effect that biotin is supposed to have... I'd bet that's not the cause. Also it takes 4-6 months for a whole nail to grow - so unless you've been on biotin for that long, the ends of the nails that flake should be pre-biotin growth.
ravenreed
August 18th, 2012, 10:50 AM
If you haven't changed anything else in your routine, then I would say yes, it could be the cause. Not everyone reacts the same way to vitamins, minerals, and supplements. For instance, I am allergic to certain forms of calcium...
KwaveT
August 18th, 2012, 12:11 PM
If it were biotin then mine should have been doing it. My nails have never flaked.
maborosi
August 18th, 2012, 12:34 PM
That is really odd. I've never noticed anything like that before when I took biotin. Maybe it's something else?
~maborosi~
katfemme89
August 18th, 2012, 12:43 PM
My nails have done this my entire life. I naturally grow really healthy hair, and really crappy nails. I think when the nutrients are being handed out to my body's systems, my hair gets the lion's share and my body just tells my nails to p!ss off, lol.
But as someone else mentioned, an entire nail takes several months to grow, so your nails could be reacting to some deficiency you had before you began taking the biotin. If it doesn't stop in about three months then it is possible you are having an adverse reaction to the biotin.
Also, some supplements are not as good as others. For instance, a cheap brand can make a biotin supplement and it wouldn't be as good as another brand's biotin supplement. Some cheap brands have fillers and other crappy crap in them that effects the quality of the main nutrient. Perhaps go to a health food store and buy another brand of biotin supplement?
Silverbrumby
August 18th, 2012, 12:44 PM
I only use oil on my nails and it helps. It could be the cream. Some that say they are going to strengthen nails have the opposite effect. Is it organic?
Also if you use nail polish on your nails it might be damaging them. But it might also be dietary. Protein intake? Dieting?
Biotin had the opposite effect for me. Also it takes longer than 2 months for most peoples nails to go from the under the nail bed where the nail is formed to the nail tip.
...The average growth of the nail can take between 5 - 6 months to grow from the matrix to the free edge.
...Nail Growth
Nails grow all the time, but their rate of growth slows down with age and poor circulation. Fingernails grow faster than toenails at a rate of 3mm per month. It takes 6 months for a nail to grow from the root to the free edge. Toenails grow about 1 mm per month and take 12-18 months to be completely replaced.
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