Acne
‘Acne’ is one of the common causes of spots on the face. It usually affects the face but may also affect the back, neck and chest. The severity of acne can range from mild to severe. About 8 in 10 teenagers develop some degree of acne. It is also estimated that about 3 in 10 teenagers have acne bad enough to need treatment to prevent scarring. The untreated acne usually lasts about 4-5 years before settling. However, it can last for many years in some cases.
Ayurvedic Description Of Acne:
In Ayurveda, ‘Acne’ is called ‘Youvana Pidaka’. ‘Youvana’ means youth and ‘Pidaka’ means skin eruption. The other Ayurvedic names are Mukha dooshika (which causes harm to the beauty of face) and Padmini kantaka (because of thorn like nature of acne).
The etiopathology of Acne is considered due to vitiated Blood (Rakta Dushti) along with vitiated Kapha and Vata. The vitiated Kapha blocks the normal excretory function of skin and gets the waste material stagnated inside, producing symptoms like itching, pustules and nodules formation.
The vitiated Rakta after getting stagnated; produces multiple eruptions, redness and raise local temperature, thick bloody discharge from the boils and abscess formation. Then irritation, blackish discoloration happens because of the vitiated Vata. These vitiated Doshas work to produce various symptoms of the disease. To overcome of this problem, the pathophysiology of this disease needs be broken down with local application of medicines and body cleansing ayurvedic therapies.
Signs & Symptoms
- White and Black Heads
- Pimples
- Papules and nodules
Causes and Risk Factors
1. Hormonal Changes – Such changes are common in teenage, women, girls and people using certain medications containing corticosteroids, androgens or lithium.
2. Family History – It has been seen that if the parents have acne, the children are also likely to develop acne in adolescence.
3. Oily Food – The consumption of excessive oily food may also develop acne. The exposure to environments having dust, mist and greasy areas can cause acne.
4. Stress – Stress also has found to aggravate already existing acne.
Self Care Tips
- Clean the skin gently and thoroughly with some herbal soap and water.
- Wash as often as it needs to control oil.
- Use a clean towel every day to prevent any bacterial infection.
- Don’t squeeze, scratch, pick, or rub acne as this may lead to further skin damage.
- Don’t rest the face on your hands, this irritates the skin of the face.
- Avoid oily, sour, spicy, stale, heavy, junk, and fast food items.
The treatment of acne usually requires 6 to 8 weeks before improvement is noted. So, one has to keep patience while undergoing the treatment of Acne.
