TREAT PIMPLES WITH AYURVEDA

Hello everyone, Dr Shayesta Inamdar here, now coming with the ACNE series. In this series we will see how to treat pimples as per their causes . Before going ahead , I  must tell  one thing that ,we can definitely treat acne through ayurveda,no matter how much severe they are! But remember one thing , never allow pimples to affect your minds. Treat pimples like a simple ,nonfatal disease and Never treat them like a social stigma!!

Acne has different types according to their sizes, shapes and severity . Types known as black heads, White heads, pustules, cysts and nodules. Pathogenesis is same for all in which excessive secretion of sebum clogs pores, then hair follicles or dead skin cells trap   within ,which on infection shows signs of inflammation, pus formation etc. The more severe form is called as Acne Vulgaris .

While treating Acne with allopathics ,the major drawback is resistance build up . It means, medicines stop working on acne after regular use ,due to resistance formation. Also some medicines like Isotretinoin can cause drug induced depression . And here is the cause to choose ayurveda as a treatment for acne.

In ayurveda acne is called as ' TARUNYA PITIKA'  or ' MUKHDUSHIKA' . Before going for ayurvedic pathogenesis of acne we must see who are the most succeptible people for acne . 

Those are-

1) Teen age kids
2) Women during or before menstruations
3) Women during pregnancy
4) Sufferers of bad digestive system
5) Insufficient detoxification of body by 
     Excretory systems.
6) Generalised weakness after Any
     Chronic illness
7) Skin damage due to environmental
     Pollution

*AYURVEDIC PATHOGENESIS OF ACNE ( MUKHDUSHIKA) -

" SHALMALI KANTAKARAHA PITIKA SA RUJO GHANAHA  |

MEDOGARBHA MUKHE YUNA TABHYAM CHA MUKHDUSHIKAHA  ||"
       
           (ASHTANG RHIDAY UTTAR
               TANTRA 31)

The summary of this Sanskrit verse is ,due to pitta dushti and blockage of pores , pimples appear on faces of youngsters resembling spikes are called as MUKHDUSHIKA.

FACTORS INVOLVED IN THIS PATHOGENESIS ARE-

1) RASA DHATU DUSHTI-  it could be compared with harmonal changes or body fluid alterations

2) RAKTA DHATU  DUSHTI- impurities in blood

3) PITTA DOSH VRIDDHI AND DUSHTI- could be said that increased acidity and heat in body

4) AGNIMANDYA- digestive disorders

5) KAF AND WAT DOSH VRIDDHI-  it could be considered as excessive stickiness or excessive dryness of skin and malnutrition too.

So this is how pimples appear on skin due to different causes in different people or different age groups.

In this particular article we will see how to deal with acne in teenage and then will go one by one in upcoming posts.

ACNE AT TEENAGE-

Acne appears for the first at teenage mostly , due to many harmonal changes.

According to ayurveda theory, childhood is a  'KAFA DOSH KAAL ' that is the time period which is dominated by kafa dosh in body.
This kafa dosh possess the character of  coldness. So we see diseases influenced with cold in childhood, like cough, common cold, rhinorrhea etc.

While the old age has dominance of WAT DOSH.  The wat dosh possess mostly the dryness as characteristic. So we see diseases like arthritis due to dried synovial fluid during old age.

Similarly middle age of the life,  that is adolescence and adulthood possesses the dominance of PITTA DOSH  mainly , which is typically influenced with heat induced diseases. So we see diseases like hyperacidity, acne at this age.  Body's metabolic rate at cellular level increases at this age and also tremendous harmonal changes are there ,so the increase in heat level, and so the more severe form of acne in this age group patients. Amidst adolescence is also a transitional phase between childhood towards adulthood. At this phase kids start realising their looks  and presentations and become more causeous about social appearance and suddenly popping up starts which creates psychological trouble too. That's why while treating acne at teenage, doctors have to work on both physical and psychological illness. In ayurveda, we prescribe blood purifiers ,heat regulators, nutritional supplements as well as anxiety relevants in such patients. Ayurvedic anti depressants are not sedatives or hypnotics itself but they release stress from mind.

Some useful medicines are arogyawardhini wati, chandraprabha, sutshekhar, gandhak rasayaan, mahamanjishthadi kashay etc . In powdered forms musta, gokshur, usheer, jatamansi are very effective. But the selection of medicine should be done by an ayurveda doctor only to get the best results.

Acne has tendancy to appear again and again, so it needs to provide a special attention on daily skin care. We will see what would be the best skin care routine for acne prone skin, in upcoming posts. 

Panchkarm chikitsa helps to pure the body thoroughly and hence reduces the risk of  recurrence too. 

Food habits are very much responsible for maintaining body's cooling and purifying mechanism proper. So be sure to eat healthy always. Avoid all oily ,spicy foods as they desturb  Pitt dosh of body. Drink sufficient amount of water, neither excessive nor less. Excessive water at a time can dilute digestive enzymes and less water will not flush out all toxins from body. 

Some fruits and vegetables have natural cooling properties ,so their intake is appreciated . Few famous names are cucumber , carrots , awala , apple, spinach, citrus foods etc. One can eat them as a whole  or can have a juice of all. While preparing fruit juices never add milk in it ,but just mix a sugar water syrup with juices because milk should not be mixed with any fruit,it creats digestive problems. One more rule for eating fruits is , always select seasonal fruits . Canned or artificially ripped fruits are good for nothing. 

Nutrition at teenage is a big issue. As I said previously this is a transitional but growing age with dynamic changes, so healthy food is must. Include  milk ,ghee to your daily diet . U can add shatawri , ashwagandha powders with milk . It will enhance skin texture giving a glowing skin , will regulate acidity and will increase nutritional value of milk.

Next to dietary habits, exercises are equally important. Sweating exercises as well as stretching exercises like yoga are useful to let out toxins and to provide more concentration of oxygen at cellular level. And offcourse sleep is very important. Daily at least 6-8 hrs sleep necessary for us because during sleep, our vital organs take rest and the body receives time to repair other organs like skin ,hair. Try to sleep early and wake up early so that to maintain body clock proper. Because maintaing body clock is the key for healthy long life. 

Read more about body clock importance at my previous posts on DEENCHARYA THE CLASSIC ROUTINE. 

And finally here are some face packs for acne prone skin.

1) Apply powdered masoor daal ( lentil pulse) with milk or rose water on face , wash on drying.

2) Apply wheat husk with milk and wash on drying.

We will see further about selecting proper face packs for different Skin types ,

So stay tuned !! Stay healthy!!