Vitamin B12.
This vitamin is also called cobalamin.
A deficiency in this vitamin stimulates the melanocyte cells.
Melanocyte cells produce a pigment called melanin.
Melanin has many critical protective functions in the skin. It is also responsible for giving skin its colour.
Vitamin B12 deficiency causes melanocyte cells to go into overdrive and overproduce melanin. This excess melanin causes hyperpigmentation in the skin.
Hyperpigmentation is when a portion of the skin is darker than the rest.
Hyperpigmentation caused by vitamin B12 deficiency is mainly localised in hands, feet, knuckles, and fingers but can also appear in other body parts.
Vitamin B12 deficiency has other implications as well. Hyperpigmentation is just one of its effects.
Another effect of vitamin B12 deficiency is premature greying of hair. Our body needs vitamin B12 to produce red blood cells. A deficiency of this vitamin hampers red blood cell production, resulting in a lack of nourishment for hair follicles and causing greying and hair fall.
Vitamin B12 deficiency has severe implications for our body. Medical assistance is needed to fix this deficiency.
Hyperpigmentation will disappear once B12 deficiency is cured using the proper medication. Hence, hyperpigmentation caused by B12 deficiency is termed reversible hyperpigmentation.
It is important to remember that this Vitamin B12 deficiency hyperpigmentation and the regular pigmentation we experience from the sun’s UV rays and inflammation are not related. Regular pigmentation has a daily chance of occurring, irrespective of whether you are B12 deficient or not.
To prevent regular pigmentation, we need to use sunscreen and pigment-inhibiting and anti-inflammatory ingredients. Sunscreen must be reapplied regularly.
