The Unprofessional Guide to biotin deficiency

Chapter 1: What Is biotin deficiency, Really?

Important notice: This guide is for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice because of something you read in this guide.

First things first: take a breath. You just got a diagnosis with a name you may have never heard before, or maybe you heard it and thought it was just that stuff in shampoo commercials. And now a doctor is telling you that you're deficient in it. That is disorienting, and it is completely okay to feel scared or confused right now.

Let's start with the basics, and by "basics" I mean the sort of thing a smart friend who took biology in college would tell you over a cup of coffee, not a medical lecture.

Biotin is a vitamin. It is also called vitamin B7, which is slightly less fun to say but useful to know because you might hear it either way. It is one of the B-complex vitamins, a group of water-soluble nutrients that your body needs to turn food into energy. Water-soluble means it dissolves in water, so your body doesn't store it in fat tissue the way it stores vitamins A or D. Instead, any extra biotin you take in just passes out of your body through your urine. That is important for two reasons: first, it means your body