Have you ever met an Ayurvedacharya to get yourself diagnosed for your skin conditions?
If yes, you know the approach to diagnose the skin condition of a person is nowhere close to modern way of diagnosis. Ayurveda is much deeper! Whether it is your health or skin, the approach to diagnosis in Ayurveda is universal - recognizing your dosha, the energy that you are born with & that you acquire over years with your state of being & way of life!
In Ayurveda, you are diagnosed based on your energy type. Energies in Ayurveda are understood as Vata, Pitta & Kapha. As a person you may embody the dominance of any of these three energy types, or a combination of these energies. But it is not that simple!
Based on your genetics, you are born with a specific energy type, and this forms your basic physical, mental & emotional make-up by birth. For example, a pitta dominated personality by birth will naturally be a high-energy person, with tendencies to get irritated often if pitta imbalance happens, their skin may show signs of boiling blood like skin rashes, heated skin & related conditions due to high heat factor inherently being a part of their formation by nature. This is your 'Prakruti'.
On the other hand, with life advancing in different directions in different phases of life, based on seasonal shifts, based on your food choices, lifestyle, habits, thinking patterns, the balance of these energies may shift within you, even though your base energy personality remains the same. For example, a pitta person in times of excess pressure or amidst run for life may get into a high state of movement aggravating their vata tendencies & experience the body-mind impact that comes with high vata tendencies, including rash prone (impact of energy that they are born with) & dry skin (impact of energy traits developed with way of life). Both energies co-exist in a person, one that you are born with & the other that you acquire and dominate in different phases of life based on your life situation. The acquired energy traits are your 'Vikruti'.
Body & Skin Traits of a Vata Dominated Personality
Vata dominated people by Prakruti have certain body, skin, hair & nails tendencies. In a balanced state of being, the body frame of vata's tends to be slimmer & leaner side, their bone structure tends to be fine & petite, and they may either be very tall or very short heighted people. The skin & hair type of vata dominated people is typically thin, scanty, brittle & dry, similar to the characteristics of vata energy that resembles dryness, roughness & coldness.
If vata tendencies are developed over time by Vikruti, vata dominated person may develop tendencies of thinning skin, losing collagen & experiencing skin sagging, dryness & dullness on the face with lesser natural oils on skin, quick aging & thinning scanty hair. In a balanced state though, vata types have a petite elegant appearance but may be prone to digestive issues like gas & bloating and must take care of their digestion to keep their skin youthful as vatas are naturally prone to quick aging that starts in the gut.
Vatas may be the blessed ones, to not gain enough weight due to their tendencies of not piling up excess weight. On the contrary, vatas are more prone to losing body fat, muscle mass & bone density due to their drying airy tendencies. Their skin type is rough & dry in its natural state.
The key to beautiful skin for vata dominated personalities is to nourish the skin with oils inside-out often to counter their drying tendencies, use natural moisturizers on skin like Ayurveda's miracle formula Shata Dhauta Ghrita, that penetrates to the deepest skin layers. Since vata skin is deeply hydrated from deep within, this 100 times washed ghee is the ancient solution given in Ayurveda texts to nourish the vata dominated skin with ghee, both inside-out. Besides proper skin, vatas's must avoid digestive issues, eat a lot of unrefined natural oils to counter vata, consume high-fiber diet with digestive aids like spices, avoid constipation & consume warm hydrating foods with liquidly consistency and avoid cold foods.
Body & Skin Traits of a Pitta Dominated Personality
Pitta dominated people by Prakruti have certain body, skin, hair & nails tendencies. In a balanced state of being, the body frame of pitta's tends to be medium, balanced and toned. The skin & hair type of pitta dominated people is typically bright, shiny with medium thickness. Their skin and hair may have a golden sheen, bright complexion & attractive persona as they are ruled by the heat factor resembling the sheen of the Sun energy in its balanced state. Pitta's in their imbalanced state may experience lot of chronic skin conditions dominated by internal heat or inflammation transforming into skin conditions like sensitive skin, pus filled acne, eczema & even psoriasis.
If pitta tendencies are developed over time by Vikruti, a person may develop tendencies of inflamed skin, sensitive skin and sensitivity to Sun or spices. In a balanced state though, pitta's have a vibrant appearance but may be prone to digestive issues like acid reflux & heartburn, the typical traits of high heat in the body. Pitta's are the blessed ones to be able to maintain a consistent weight & beautifully toned body with attractive well-defined muscular structure, but not necessarily a slim frame. Their skin type in imbalanced state is sensitive, oily & prone to pus-filled acne, which are signs of excess heat oozing out of the skin! Pitta's may have a reddish complexion due to effect of overly heated & active bloodstream. Pitta's in their imbalanced state experience bursts of energy & focus but in a state of overdrive, they may burnout quickly, fast forwarding their aging process.
The key to beautiful skin for pitta dominated personalities is to stay cool in their body & mind, habits, thoughts & foods. Pitta skincare must be gentle with ingredients that cool and gently soothe the skin such as Sumukha face mask, that contains clays & soothing lentils & herbs that gently absorb excess oils from the skin while balancing pitta skin. Pitta's must avoid any source that pushes them towards aggravating inflammation. They must consume ample vitamin C rich foods that keep them cool, hydrating foods like melons & cucumbers, & avoid heating foods like refined flours, oils & spices.
Body & Skin Traits of a Kapha Dominated Personality
Kapha dominated people by Prakruti have certain body, skin, hair & nails tendencies. In a balanced state of being, the body frame of kapha's tends to be strong, stable & sturdy with heavy muscle mass & thick bone density. Physically, their appearance is more voluptuous & larger by birth. Kaphas have the steadiest & long-lasting frame out of all dosha types. The skin & hair type of kapha dominated people is typically thick and strong. Kapha skin is the most beautiful skin that can resist aging for years naturally. It is naturally coated with natural sheen on the skin. Their hair quality is often thick, black & wavy.
If kapha tendencies are developed over time by Vikruti, a person may develop tendencies of leathery look on the skin prone to stagnation on skin leading to breakouts & dirty complexion.
The key to beautiful skin for kapha dominated personalities is to activate the circulation often, as their lazy couch-potato tendencies may create sluggish circulation leading to stagnation in the body. Kapha skincare must be focused on detoxification to flow the stagnation away with focus on lymphatic drainage using Yogic tools like active breathing & body movements. Their skin needs products that gently remove stagnation such as Sukurabu, which is a rice-based face exfoliator from the Eastern beauty traditions that gently removes pollutants, dead skin cells & opens pores while removing skin blockages. Kaphas need lot of warming & heating spices to keep their circulation up & going.
Svarasya Viewpoint
Balance is the deep-rooted secret to beautiful skin in Ayurveda. Ayurveda skincare is not surface level, its skin & soul deep, and helps you connect with who you are how you must selfcare!