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Ayurvedic skin care
The skin is not only the largest organ in the human body.
The skin is the extreme limit, the point of separation between myself and
others, between the ego and the environment. It is that area, of which
very little is known where the mind expresses without mediation its state
of balance or imbalance, of harmony or lack of equilibrium.
The skin
directly reveals the energetic level of the entire psichophysical unit; it
is a transparent mirror where the movement of the doshas brings about
changes also of a radical nature in its biochemical balance. It is the
expression of our being, that special sinergy of doshas that represents
our individual constitution. It is the updated map of our energy balance.
It does not adapt well to standardized treatments, does not tolerate
certain cosmetics compounds, often failing to react adequately to specific
products. A skin that not only requires an improvement in appearance but
needs a deep rebalance of the body's tissues, starting from the
rebalancing of the doshas in the skin.
The Ayurvedic treatment
Our Ayurvedic system of skin care treatment is based on
three pillars of traditional Indian medicine: the individual constitution,
the possible temporary imbalance of a dosha, the season. Only by analysing
and intregrating these elements can we establish a program of treatment or
self care that is totally ayurvedic. Ayurveda is a holistic medicine, it
is concerned with the patient and not with the disease, and similarly in
the cosmetic field dealing with the skin, it is the person and not his/her
beauty problems that count. The disease itself is cured in a different way
according to the constitution and the conditions of the patient such as
wrinkles or cellulite which need differentiated treatments according to
the characteristic of the person. The purpose of ayurvedic beauty
treatment is there the treatment of the beauty problem related to the
constitution and the condition of the person. With an extraordinary
rebalancing action of the doshas, prevention of the beauty problems, a
thorough beauty treatment.
Doshas and Skin
Vata is changeable and irregular. Like the
Wind that arrives as a gust and then calms, it means movement,
creativity, endless horizons. In the body vata manage the other two
doshas, it is responsible for the movement, the nervous functions, the
perstalsis of the intestine. It is cold, dry and light. When
aggravated it attacks the vital force, creates a lack of energy, anxiety,
insomnia, asthenia, digestive, intestinal and assimilation problems. The
skin becomes cold and dry and lacks uniformity with some greasy spots and
other dehydrated spots. The beauty problems are characterized by
dehydration, wrinkles, lack of tone and firmness of the tissues.
Pitta is Fire, the force of transformation.
It controls the metabolic processes of the organism such as mental
digestion and the ability to perceive things as they are. It means heat,
intelligence, courage and power of discrimination. In particular it
controls the digestive system and the blood. It is hot, moist and
light. When it is aggravated it brings about an accumulation of heat,
fever and inflammation. The skin becomes particularly hot and reddens,
sweating increases. The beauty problems caused by pitta are
inflammation and reddening with variations in the pH and increases in
body temperature.
Kapha keeps the things
together. It is Water, the force of stability. It controls the
nourishment of the tissues and the fluids of the body, it is the
container, the material support on which the other two doshas rest. It
represents emotional structure, it is responsible for the accummulation
and preservation of energy. It is cold, moist and heavy. When it is
aggravated causes weight accumulation in the body, heaviness, slowless and
depression of the digestive fire. The skin is cold, moist and pale with
presence of edemas, fatty cushions and the slowing down of the
metabolic functions of the skin.
The personalized treatment
To establish a personalized treatment, the first element
to be taken into consideration is the costitution of the
individual. Given a particular individual constitution and therefore
the predominance of a dosha over the others, we can determine the type of
the beauty problems that tend to be associated with it and therefore
establish a system of treatment of the skin that is, complete and
specific. In fact we must not simply treat the beauty problem, but when it
is possible to prevent its onset. Of course we cannot resolve the problem
of wrinkles in an eldery person but we can certainly keep the tissues in
the best possible condition, feeding the skin with hot and nourishing
substances that can prevent the effects of vata.
The identification of
the constitution of the individual in Ayurveda is based on the overall
psychophysical characteristics of the individual. Each dosha manifests its
particular qualities as part of any mental, physiological or biochemical
process. Its essence is present in every aspect of nature, every vital
process. We can perceive the increase of the doshas in the seasonal cycle,
the dry coldness of Vata, the hot moisture of Pitta, the moist coldness of
Kapha, and we can notice that these conditions also change within us.
The second element of evaluation of our system is the
seasonal period. In fact each season manifests the accumulation of a
specific dosha that interacts with the doshas in our organism. Vata
predominates in the second part of autumn and winter, Kapha in the second
part of winter and spring, Pitta in summer and first part of autumn. The
presence of a dosha in the individual constitution is much more
accentuated during the corresponding seasonal period. We can easily see
that the particular conditions of a Vata person will worsen in autumn,
Kapha in spring time and Pitta in summer.
In the mixed
costitution Vata-Pitta, Pitta-Kapha and Vata-Kapha, in which two
doshas are predominant, we will see a double aggravation in connection
with the predominant doshas of the individual constitution. A Vata-Pitta
person will see an aggravation of Vata in autumn and of Pitta in summer
and the treatment of the skin will also be adapted to this situation
differentiating itself according to the season.
The purpose of the
treatment is to treat the beauty problem deriving from the individual
constitution in relationship to external seasonal conditions.
In addition to these two categories there is a third element that is
very important in the Ayurvedic theory and in our system of treatment: the
possible temporary imbalance of a dosha. Temporary imbalance means
an extraordinary condition that does not stem from either the individual
constitution or the season but from specific temporary conditions,
internal or external. We can imagine a Vata suffering from a strong face
inflammation or affected by acne due to hormonal development, or a Pitta
with an accumulation of fat and cellulite due to an imbalanced diet or
again, a Kapha that manifests a strong dehydration due to exposure to a
dry and cold climate. We have a series of cases in which the beauty
problem to be treated is not connected to the constitution or the season
but to specific and independent causes.
In these cases we can say that
at the source of the conditions observed lies a temporary imbalance, an
accumulation of Pitta in the first case, Kapha in the second case and Vata
in the third. In this example the correct treatment will consist of
controlling and reducing the dosha aggravated at the moment, that is, to
treat the temporary dosha. As soon as the situation is brought back to
normal, we can start to use the specific products chosen according to the
individual constitution and the season to prevent the beauty problems and
to perform a specific treatment.
The method of analysis of the
condition of the person and the identification of the most appropriate
form of treatment will be as follows:
- IDENTIFICATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL CONSTITUTION, PURE OR MIXED.
- ANALISYS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL CONSTITUTION AND
THE SEASON.
- RESEARCH OF POSSIBLE SPECIFIC BEAUTY PROBLEMS DIFFERING FROM THOSE
DETERMINED BY THE DOSHAS IN THE CONSTITUTION.
If there are different specific conditions that
suggest to a temporary imbalance, whatever the constitution or season, we
should treat the dosha responsible for these manifestations.
A
Pitta with beauty problems connected with Vata will use anti-Vata
products, a Kapha with problems connected to Pitta will use anti Pitta
products and so on...
In the absence of dosha imbalance,
in thecase of mixed constitutions, we will treat the beauty problems
originating from the individual constitution on the basis of the
season.
A Vata-Pitta will use anti-Vata products in the Vata
period, autumn, anti-Pitta in the Pitta period, summer and Pitta -Kapha
will use anti-Pitta products in summer and anti-Kapha in spring.
Again, in the absence of a particular dosha imbalance
but where the constitution is pure, we always recommend the line of
products that directly combats the predominant dosha in the individual
constitution.
Anti-Vata for Vata, anti-Pitta for Pitta, anti-Kapha
for Kapha.
Ayurvedic products
The Ayurvedic products do not simply use substances
derived from the Ayurvedic botany, but are conceived in their entirety
from an ayurvedic angle. With emphasis on the activity exerted by active
principles on the beauty problems, but also attempting to obtain a more
generalized rebalancing action of the dosha, using pure Ayurvedic plant
extracts and carefully selecting all the raw materials used in the
products.
ANTI-VATA
PRODUCTS
The products that have an anti-Vata activity must
share a strong moisturizing, nourishing, toning and firming activity.
Mildly warming those for the body, the face products must be particularly
emollient and nourishing. They must be used continually on the Vata
constitution according to the season (autumn and beginning of winter) and
on the mixed constitution with presence of vata, from time to time in case
of Vata aggravation with temporary manifestation of, for instance, dry
skin.
The anti-Vata products are specific for cold, dry, dehydrated
skin, lacking in elasticity, wrinkled.
ANTI-PITTA PRODUCTS
The anti-Pitta
products are differentiated to meet the two fundamental needs of the Pitta
skin: on the one hand a soothing action, on the other the purifying. The
products must share a moisturizing and cooling action but then take on a
more specific role to treat hot, sensitive, irritated skin prone to
couperose on the one hand, and hot skin but impure, with pimples and acne
on the other.
They must be used regularly on Pitta constitution,
according to the season (late spring and summer) and on mixed constitution
with presence of Pitta, occasionally in the case of Pitta aggravation with
temporary manifestations such as skin inflammation, couperose or acne.
ANTI-KAPHA PRODUCTS
The products with an anti-Kapha activity must above all be draining,
stimulating and slightly moisturizing. The differentiation between face
and body is particular evident because the body products must be, above
all, stimulating and warming, while for the face we are looking for
draining, moisturizing and slightly stimulating action. They must be used
regularly on Kapha constitution, according to season (winter and beginning
of spring) and on mixed constitution with Kapha presence, occasionally in
the case of Kapha aggravation with temporary manifestation, for instance,
edemas and swelling or accumulation of fat. The anti-Kapha products are
specific for the treatment of cold, moist, edematous skins, with a
tendency to accumulate fluids and fat
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