Acne in Women
Every female wants to look beautiful in her every phase of life.For beautiful looks she keep on trying so many things during the course of her life such as diet , exercise, cosmetics , medicines and now a days surgery also. There are so many obstacles in path of women to look beautiful always.Acne in women is one of them due to which she feels very much low in confidence in her life.
There are so many obstacles in path of women to look beautiful always.Acne in women is one of them due to which she feels very much low in confidence in her life.
A few pimples or acne occurs in the lifetime of most women. Acne however may affect men and women in markedly different manner.
In women acne is related to several hormonal factors and sometimes the menstrual cycle due to which the acne being more severe before their periods.
As most of women grow older, they get to improve their acne symptoms, on contrary some women faces this problem for many years sometimes till menopause.
Some lucky women get acne for the first time in their 30s. Acne can affect women at extreme level , upsetting them to the verge of depression level. Women started feeling low self-esteem and poor body image.
Acne peaks in women in their teenage years but may remain prevalent among older women. Mild acne can affect girls between 10 and 15 years of age. During teenage acne are primarily of inflammatory type.
Risk factors for Acne in Women-
Women who have acne have been found to secrete more sebum in contrast to those who don’t have acne. Excess of sebum is absolutely co-related with inflammatory type of Acne.
Women with acne are also likely to have . Hirsutism refers to excessive body hair particularly over the upper lip. Women who have hirsutism also have high levels of sebum.
Hormonal changes-
Acne among women over 25 is mainly a result of hormonal changes. These women tend to have higher level of male hormones like testosterone in their blood. Subsequently it is called hyperandrogenism.
Hyperandrogenism refers to the features like loss of hair on the head , increased sebum production , hirsutism over the upper lip, menstrual disorders, metabolic syndrome, obesity , Infertility , psychological distribution, alternation of ovulation schedules.
In acne ,the pores are congested not only by sebum , but also by dry skin and dirt and a built up of bacteria that worsen acne conditions. Acne lesions appear on the skin of the face , neck, shoulders and chest. Acne may be a cause of embarrassment because the age group prone to acne breakouts are usually very conscious about their looks. If it is chronic in nature , it may lead to severe scarring.
Types of Acne-
-Black heads
-White heads
-Pus filled yellow bumps or pustules
-firm large swellings underneath the skin or nodules
-Cystic acne
Acne is called yuvana pitika in Ayurveda which means boils affecting the youth. Disturbed Kapha ,Pitta and Rakta together produce boils , mostly on the face.
Causes of Acne-
1) Consumption of fatty and fried foods and excess starch intake.
2) Inadequate water intake.
3) Unbalanced eating hours.
4)Heredity
5) Nutritional Deficiencies
6) Irritant cosmetics
7)Uses of steroids
8) Hormonal Imbalance
9) Chronic constipation
10) Inactivity
11) Improper skin cleansing
12)Stress
13) Inadequate sleep
14) Alcohalism
15) Tobacco intake
16) Intake of caffeine
Pathophysiology-
Ayurveda believes that unquestionably yuvana pitika is a disease that is caused due to improper diet and other internal factors. Treatment Doshas involved are Kapha and Vata. Vitiated Kapha blocks the normal excretory function of the skin and the waste stagnates inside ,producing symptoms like itching , pustules and nodules formation.
Vitiated Rakta also gets stagnated and besides produces multiple eruptions ,redness ,raised local temperature, thick bloody discharge from the boils and abscess formation. In addition to this Irritation, blackish discoloration and ugly scar formation are later contributed by vitiated Vata .
Here the vitiated Doshas gets stagnated in the Srotas or subtle channels of the body.
Treatment Procedures-
1) Steaming and other heating procedures-
Steaming procedure is not advised during inflammatory stages. It is useful in removal of blockage of subtle channels or Srotas.
2) Vamana –
Suitable medicines are orally given to induce vomitting. This procedure is very useful in removing blockage of Srotas of facial skin and whole body.
3) Virechana-
It is a cleansing method ,performed by giving bitter astringent and sweet herbal purgatives which bring down abnormally increased .Pitta principle and Rakta or blood dhatu. This procedure is beneficial in stages of inflammatory changes.
4) Nasya-
Nasal administration of suitable medicine is beneficial in chronic condition of Acne.
5) Raktamokshana (Blood letting)–
It is a very affective treatment for vitiated Rakta Dosha in Acne.
Useful herbs for Acne-
Shalmali ,Lodhra ,Kushta ,Manjishta, Turmeric ,Vacha ,Chandana ,Sativa are beneficial in Acne. Local application of Shalmli Kantak and Jatiphal give good results. Other blood purifiers like Neem, Guduchi are beneficial for external and internal use.
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