Understanding Doshas and Acne

Before you see the reddish-white outbursts on your skin, a lot happens under that. It all starts with excess oil and dirt accumulated in the pores. This is a food for a bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes. So when this bacteria sets in, your body tries to fight it, which is seen as inflammation or acne. There are many stages of acne. The final stage is the large type of acne called cystic. 

There are many critical players behind this stage-wise formation of acne. Ayurvedic experts explain that pitta and vata dosha are responsible for this acne formation. Pitta in our body represents the chemical and hormonal reactions. It also represents all transformations happening from time to time within the body. 

For instance, our body's response to stress and hormonal changes are related to pitta aggravation. Likewise, the formation of acne is a pitta imbalance. Here are a few instances where you will see your pitta imbalanced.

MENTAL STRESS—Excessive mental stress demands adrenaline and other stress hormones be secreted in the body. This stimulates the sebaceous glands and makes skin oily, leading to acne. This is a pitta vitiation. 

OTHER HORMONAL IMBALANCES—The endocrine system also controls the sebaceous gland. In cases of hormonal imbalances, such as hypo or hyperthyroidism, oestrogen insufficiency, etc., the sebaceous glands are likely to be stimulated, which causes pitta aggravation in the body.  

UNHEALTHY FOODS—Clinical studies have shown that consuming aerated beverages, sweeteners, sugary foods, starchy foods like white flour pasta, bread and noodles, and soda can lead to acne formation—okay, but how? 

These foods have a high sugar content, so our body must produce more insulin to digest them. Eventually, high insulin tends to make the skin oily. This is the connecting link between acne and sugary foods. This causes an imbalance in the pitta in the body, leading to inflammation and acne. 

LACK OF SLEEP—Researchers have found an interesting connection between lack of sleep and acne. When you don't sleep properly, you pave the way for all three scenarios mentioned above to happen inside the body. 

Good sleep at the right time improves certain chemicals called cytokinins in the body, which are essential for the immune system to function effectively. It also gives the body ample time for self-repair and rejuvenation. Clear skin is beneficial. 

Apart from all the above reasons, unhygienic habits also precipitate acne formation. Lack of proper cleanliness of both skin and scalp is the ground for all the other things about acne. As per Ayurvedic experts, what exactly happens with pitta in the case of acne? 

Ayurvedic Approach to Acne

Pitta means ''fire''. Fire in the body, as per Ayurveda, is represented as ''Agni''. When we call fire as Agni, we mean digestion in both the stomach and the cells. The food we consume in the cells is absorbed by the intestine and transported to the blood and, eventually, other body parts. 

That being the introduction to specific terms concerning acne, improper agni can lead to toxins (unwanted chemicals) accumulating in the blood. It can weaken the natural detoxification system in the body and affect immunity. This leads to unhealthy skin and acne formation. 

This is exactly why Ayurvedic experts suggest detoxification in all skin treatments. Having said that, how do we balance these doshas to keep acne away? 

Healing Acne With Dosha Balancing

The answer to the above question is that we can balance the doshas by doing all those things correctly, from which those doshas went into an imbalance in the first place. Here is Nirva's four-fold approach to Dosha balancing, carefully crafted by our health crew. 

DIET

A proper diet is the mother of all medicines. ''Proper'' means the right food is taken at the right time and in the right way. Ayurvedic dietary practices recommend consuming food only when your burp is free of any smell or taste of previously consumed food. 

Ayurvedic experts also mention drinking water during meals to balance the Agni. In addition, in an ayurvedic lifestyle, you must never eat stomach full; you could compare this with a mixer filled completely with tomatoes with no space to rotate. Eating a full stomach makes digestion and absorption challenging, adding more stuff to burning agni in such a way that it can put the digestive fire off. 

AYURVEDIC SUPPLEMENT

We need certain nutritional carriers to ensure the food is processed correctly and the agni is maintained. However, ensuring that our food is nutritionally well-calculated is difficult. In such a case, ayurvedic supplements can come to your rescue. 

These supplements, like turmeric, are agni-friendly and support digestion and absorption. This can keep the blood off the metabolic toxins. 

YOGA

In today's competitive lifestyle, we need more than exercise. Body streamlining is required rather than mere shaping. Yoga is the solution. Yoga sets right the imbalance of doshas in a jiffy. Regular practice can attune your body to detox by default, and you don't have to worry about cheat days during your diet. 

Yogic practices curated according to the body's constitution can rapidly improve blood circulation. They also improve kidney and liver function, flushing the skin with enough nutrients and giving it a typical glow. 

MEDITATION

The mind is the master of the body. A calm mind can decide the energy consumed by the body. Meditation, along with the above practices, can help handle stress and improve mindfulness. This powerfully supports the digestion and absorption of food. 

Reading all this could make you curious as to how Nirva Health Crew brings all this into your life—done. Don't hesitate to take your consultation for healthy skin today.  

Balancing the doshas in the body automatically reverses the formation of acne, and it can disappear in no time. We can send it off the way it came on your skin. 

Here are a few Ayurvedic tips that you can implement in your daily life to have healthy, acne-free skin. 

Ayurvedic Remedies and Skincare for Acne

Begin your day with a sparkling skincare regimen. Here is what you can do. 

• START YOUR DAY WITH GHEE—Drinking warm ghee mixed with warm water first thing in the morning can cleanse your intestines and detox your blood. It can also reduce constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, eventually giving you great acne-free skin. 
• TRIPHALA FACE PACK—Use half a spoon of readily available triphala fine powder(a combination of amla and two other fruits). Add a few drops of lemon juice and make a paste. Apply it to the face, specifically in the places where acne has occurred. Leave it on for some time and wash it off gently. You can also use homemade gram flour or any mild herbal acne face wash. 
• DRINK WATER TO IMPROVE SKIN—Water is the ultimate healer for acne. Hydrating yourself regularly can provide all the detox your body needs from time to time. The formula is one glass of water every 30 minutes. 
• EARLY MORNING YOGA - The best time for yoga practice is when the sun is just peeping out to greet you for the day. Ideally, sun salutation has been clinically proven to improve skin quality. 
• NUTS FOR CLEAR SKIN—A salad consisting of nuts, including almonds, pistachios, cashews, and walnuts, can be made into a fine powder and made a compulsory ingredient in all your recipes for the day. This can give you a daily dose of essential nutrients and keep your skin away from acne. 
• TEA TREE SCALP CLEANSE—It is a forgotten fact that the scalp continues the skin. A clean scalp is essential for acne-free skin. Apply a few drops of tea tree oil mixed with coconut oil over the scalp, leave on for an hour, and wash off. You can also regularly add tea tree oil drops to your daily shampoo and conditioner for a dandruff-free scalp. 

It is essential to understand the specific regimen that can suit your skin to ward off acne. Get your detailed analysis done today with our Nirva health crew. Here is a sample dosha quiz that you can do yourself to classify your skin type. 

Score 1 indicates that you award 1 for an ''yes''. 0 for a ''no'', and ½ for a 50:50 situation. The final score can give you your pitta percentage. 

However, a complete dosha or prakriti (body type) analysis can help you reconcile better.  That is why we recommend you to get in touch with our Ayurveda experts !

Conclusion 

When scientists find a way to read every gene in our body, we can use Ayurvedic genetic analysis, which is nothing but the Prakriti or body analysis, to understand our skin type, what suits it, and what does not. Acne-free skin is an indication of good health. 

Dosha balance and clean habits can help you heal acne quickly and prevent recurrence. A diet rich in antioxidants can further add to detoxified blood and improve skin quality. Adding yoga to your regimen can take care of all that is needed physically to clear the acne. 

Get your Ayurvedic skin analysis done today.