“Skin health, starts from the inside out”
Skin health has a tremendous impact on self-confidence and interpersonal relationships. We all now how it feels to go to work or meet friends on a “bad skin” day. Why is that? Because, the way our skin looks and feels, gives us (and others around us!) a truthful image of our inner state of balance.
Signs of unhealthy skin should not be ignored or hidden. This short term attitude, will only delay the healing and make it more difficult as toxins spread to deeper bodily tissues. On the contrary, we should carry out our own investigation, right from the beginning, to uncover the root cause of our skin imbalance and prevent it from developing further.
Ayurveda helps with us understand what causes skin disorders, and how to keep our skin healthy once for all.
Going beyond superficial symptoms
Just like for any other disorders, skin disorders symptoms – such as dryness, redness, oiliness, spots etc. – are a mere reflection of a more profound imbalance. Our task is to understand the root cause of this imbalance.
The unique feature of Ayurveda is that not only does it help us alleviate symptoms linked to skin disorders, but also does it enable us to identify and treat the root cause of the disorder. This is the only way to remove and prevent skin disorder for good.
Ayurveda also plays a preventive role. Indeed, when treating the root cause of skin disorders, we naturally restore our general body-mind balance. Creating a balanced inner environment, ensures that current disorders do not spread further and new ones are not manifesting.
“Our skin is a mere reflection of our inner health.”
What causes skin disorders ?
Ayurveda puts forward that an imbalanced digestive fire (agni) is the root cause of all disorders.
The digestive fire becomes imbalanced when we do not follow the correct diet and lifestyle for our unique body-mind constitution. When our digestive fire gets weak, food does not get digested properly and toxins (ama) are formed as a product of food fermentation.
These toxins circulate through our bodily channels (srotas) and get deposited on the skin tissue (rasa dhatu). Depending on the nature of the individual and the nature of the imbalance, one may experience dryness, itchiness, redness, scaling, infection, pus etc.
In medical terms the most common skin disorders or signs of toxins in the body are eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, dermatitis, ichthyosis and vitiligo.
How to prevent skin disorders with Ayurveda?
The first step is to identify your unique body-mind constitution and the nature of the imbalance. We recommend you consult a fully accredited Ayurvedic practitioner for an in-depth diagnosis. With this information on hand, you will be able to learn the correct diet and lifestyle behaviours to prevent further creation of toxins.
One should also look into enhancing the body’s natural detoxification process to eliminate previously accumulated toxins. This is done by restoring digestive fire’s strength to its optimum level. A qualified Ayurvedic practitioner, can help you identify the correct herbal remedies and skin treatments that will support your body’s natural detoxification process and keep your skin healthy.
Finally, in order to eliminate superficial toxins, one may apply a natural moisturising cream adapted to your skin condition.
Below are some general guidelines which you can start with today.
Ayurvedic guidelines for skin disorders
These general Ayurvedic tips will significantly support the body in eliminating any type of skin disorders and will keep your skin healthy and young.
- Daily moisturising of the skin natural cream suited to your individual skin condition
- Protecting the skin from extreme weather conditions, whether cold or hot
- Improving circulation by staying properly hydrated and taking appropriate regular exercise, especially stretching, gentle yoga or walking
- Gentle regular sweating to excrete toxins from the system
- Keep your hands clean at all times
- Following a diet – suitable to our unique constitution – which allows easy and regular bowel movements
- Avoiding acidity, red meat, red fish, tropical fruit, red wine, tomatoes, cold raw salads, oily foods, nuts and seeds
- Passing urine regularly throughout the day whenever the body requires
- Reducing stress levels through meditation, time in nature or other leisure activities on a regular basis
- Skin regenerates during our sleep. Giving our body enough sleep in a calm and relaxed environment is critical if we want to keep our skin healthy and glowing
- Avoiding direct contact of chemicals on your skin
We are hosting an open Healthy Skin Workshop on 02 March 2019. Please visit the Healthy Skin Workshop page, for more information and register your interest.
A healthy skin also plays an important role in business interaction and in creating positive first impressions. We offer Healthy Skin Workshops for guest and client facing teams. Please contact info@theayurvedacentre.com for more information.
Elena Beurdeley
Ayurvedic Consultant – DipALN, DipAMT (Ayurveda)
The Ayurveda Centre – Athens
www.theayurvedacentre.com
Disclaimer: This article is not a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your Ayurvedic practitioner, pharmacist or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested in this article. Only your health care provider, Ayurvedic practitioner or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.
