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Classically Ayurveda does not talk about a particular skin problem or disease. Instead these “problems” are viewed as symptoms of a particular energetic imbalance. In the case of Acne Rosacea it is considered to be a symptom of extra Pitta or fire-like energy that has been allowed to accumulate in the blood.

It is this fire-like energy that determines our body temperature, regulates our hormonal system and rules our digestion. When it is in balance it gives us focus, passion and an ability to vision the future. When it is allowed to build up in our body-mind system it presents us with symptoms that like fire flaring up, feel hot to the touch, look red or yellow and have a tendency to spread. Pitta symptoms often feel worse than they look and can be caused by or the cause for frustration and aggravation. If this Pitta energy accumulates in the red part of the blood it will eventually surface on the skin in the form of what we call Acne Rosecea. The severity of the condition depends on the amount of extra Pitta that has built up. Whether the condition becomes chronic depends on if this extra Pitta is encouraged to stay.

Some of us may be constitutionally more Pitta or fire-like to begin with, thus have greater tendencies for this energy to build up and persist. Pitta-type people typically are more athletically built, have fine, thinning, or prematurely graying hair, are fair, or freckled, and/or have sensitive skin that burns easily, with tendencies towards or a type “A” personality. These are all signs of there already being a lot of Pitta in the body. Others of us have adopted habits that “feed the fire,” elevating the Pitta in our constitutions to a disproportionate degree. So the solution must be two-fold. First, we must reduce the extra Pitta both topically and internally. Secondly, we need to develop habits that will keep Pitta in balance.

There are many excellent topical or external skincare procedures both from eastern and western traditions that are designed to cool and sooth the skin. Working internally means the promotion of regular bowel habits and possibly taking supplements that are known to purify the blood. This is the first part of the solution. The second part requires knowing what lifestyle choices aggravate the problem and what calms it. The trick here is to realize that for the problem not to become chronic the solution or “cure” has to be an ongoing process, where the client must to learn identify for themselves just what peaks their Pitta. This is made a little more complicated by the fact that imbalances in the blood take ten to fourteen days to manifest as symptoms from the time when the aggravation precipitating the symptoms happened. So if you are looking at the cause of a flare up you’ll have to remember what you were doing as long as two weeks ago to find the culprit. The factors that seem to cause problems that are listed in western literature include alcohol, smoking, sun exposure and spicy foods. Ayurveda agrees, then goes further. I’ve put these factors in a list so you can clearly see if their lifestyle choices are indeed contributing to the problem.

Environmental Factors

• High exposure to heat or sun past or present
• Working in front of computer screens, on mobile phones or around microwaves
• Exposure to chemicals – sprays, exhaust, out gases from new carpets and new building materials
• Synthetic perfumes

Beverages such as…

• Alcohol especially spirits
• Coffee and black tea
• Synthetically sweetened drinks

Foods such as…

• Red meats
• Animals raised with hormones in their feed
• Egg yolks, especially from commercially->raised chicken eggs
• Oily and fast foods
• Hot spicy foods
• Sour fruits

Emotional States of…

• Frustration
• Anxiety
• Anger
• Over ambitiousness or “machismo”
• Excessive activity
• Felling under pressure

Drugs…

• Tobacco
• Antibiotics
• Psychoactive substances

BEAUTY TREATMENTS that are contra-indicated for high-Pitta people and conditions…

• Steams
• Hot compresses
• Abrasive therapies, i.e. Microdermabrasions, chemical peels

As mentioned earlier, these factors are much more likely be a problem for clients who are already constitutionally more Pitta to start with. However, the more our lifestyle exaggerates Pitta conditions in our daily experience, the greater the likelihood that Pitta symptoms such as Acne Rosacea will arise.

How to bring Pitta into balance:

ENVIRONMENTALLY

• Wear a hat and sunscreen EVERY time you go out
• Whenever you get too hot, take time to cool down
• Don’t push yourself to a running sweat when exercising
• Seek out natural cosmetics, shampoos and perfumes

DRINK

A small glass of room temperature water every waking hour A tablespoon of aloe vera gel morning and evening A half a cup of warm organic-quality milk with 1 teaspoon of ghee before bed Cooling and blood purifying teas e.g. mint, fennel, comfrey, chamomile, clover, lavender, burdock, Juices from apple, sweet orange, coconut, mango, pomegranate Beer or white wine socially, unless this is daily

EAT

Less meat in general, and favor white meat, white fish, or wild meats when you do eat meat Steamed foods Plenty of green, fresh or cooked Cucumber

EMOTIONALLY

Take stress relief seriously Learn breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, or meditation RELAX - take time to “spa” Watch a funny or heart-warming movie

HERBAL HELPERS

Blood purifiers e.g. aloe vera, turmeric Gentle laxatives, such as senna leaf tea

BEAUTY HOME REMEDIES

Anything cooling or soothing Clay mask mixed with aloe and sandalwood Banana, cantaloupe, peach or pineapple mask Vegetable mask avocado, zucchini, mint and cilantro Cool comfrey compress

RESOURCES

Ayurvedic Beauty Care – Melanie Sachs Absolute Beauty – Pratima Raichur Milady’s Skin care Reference – Mark Lees