Hair loss and cosmetic skin disorders form the most important part of the cosmetics field. Millions of people from across all countries and in all sections of society suffer from these problems. Out of the cosmetics available in the market, we find a majority of the products address these issues. In spite of the enormous amount of time and money put into the research and development of these products, they offer only partial relief to people facing these disorders. Ayurveda, the ancient Indian System of medicine has described these problems with astonishing details, and with inputs from this science it aids in curing these disorders to a large extent.
To begin, hair loss and comestic skin disorders are not recent. They have existed since the beginning of mankind. The ratio and intensity of these problems is on the rise and so is the awareness of ones own beauty.Beauty is sought after by every individual, but youth is a stage when everybody becomes conscious of his or her personality. Cosmetic problems during adolescence seem to be a threat to the personality, e.g. a person with a lot of pimples feels devastated and is desperate to find solutions. Cosmetic problems are handled superficially, although they are related to the body, they are never looked upon like a proper disease or disorder.When it comes to the age-old saying "beauty is skin deep" the same doesn't go for managing beauty. We realize that beauty is not skin deep, because extensive research confirms that any efforts directed towards enhancing beauty purely with superficial applications are not useful in the long run.Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine, is defined as the "Science of life" because it describes everything related to different stages of life, including problems and their solutions. Ayurveda has a description of each and everything a human being can come across in his life.Ancient Ayurvedic texts believe that beauty is the result of excellent health of underlying tissues. Beauty without the foundation of health is easily destroyed. According to Ayurveda, beauty is the outcome of excellent health and beauty problems like hair loss, hair graying, pimples and dark circles are presentations of ill health of the underlying tissues. These conditions need to be diagnosed properly and treated accurately in order to achieve a complete cure.
Cosmetic disorders of skin and hair actually are a mild form of disease and an indication that the skin is probably not functioning well.Hair loss, hair graying, dandruff, pimples, dark circles, premature wrinkles, hypo and hyper pigmentation of the skin, dryness and oiliness of the skin, warts, dark circles around the eyes, obesity and being too skinny are just some the major cosmetic disorders faced by most of the people.Hair and skin are the majority of cosmetic disorders. We consider these as external appendages or merely as a covering of the body, but Ayurveda considers skin as an important organ of the body of which hair is an important constituent. Hair and skin is an extremely important means of communication for the body with the external world.Our skin is sensitive to the changes in the climate that we live in. Excessive cold and chilly weather makes our skin dry, while excessive hot weather makes our skin sweat profusely and leave a layer of salts deposited on the skin. After the water in the sweat gets evaporated, these salts erode the skin and can cause irritation and itching.According to Ayurveda, skin and hair are related to three doshas viz: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The seven tissues viz: Rasa, Rakta, Mamsa, Meda, Asthi, Majja & Shukra, while three Mala excretory products of the body viz are Pureesha (stools), Mutra (urine) and Sweda (sweat).Ayurveda claims that skin diseases and cosmetic disorders of skin and hair are a result of disturbed physiology of these tissues. The cause and nature of the vitiation of the Doshas, the extent of involvement of the tissues and the state of excretion of the malas determine the severity and intensity of these cosmetic disorders.In addition, type of diet, condition of digestion, sleep and functioning of some other systems also play a vital role in the formation and cure of these disorders. Ayurvedic treatments aim at diagnosing correctly and addressing these problems naturally and permanently, without the use of artificial and harmful chemicals.
Ayurvedic texts have always emphasized on finding the cause and deciding the nature of any disorder before planning the treatment.� In addition to a detailed examination of underlying tissues, the analysis of diet, dietary habits and daily routine form an important part of the examination of a person. For example, hair loss resulting from the intake of excessive salty food substances and from excessive sour foods will be present in a different way and will affect different doshas; the treatment modalities for these two types of hair loss will be obviously different.
At our center the treatment of these cosmetic disorders is very much comprehensive. Based on the original texts and after meticulous research of over a decade, we have modified the treatment of cosmetic disorders. It mainly consists of:
Hair loss and cosmetic skin disorders can be dealt with very nicely with Ayurveda. Ayurveda considers beauty as an outcome of excellent health and that beauty problems are manifestations of ill health of the underlying tissues. The treatment is individually designed with a comprehensive approach and is largely dependant upon the diagnosis of this condition of ill health.
Dr. Abhay Kulkarni has vast clinical experience of over a decade in the field of Ayurveda. He is President of the International Society of Ayurvedic Physicians and Teachers. He also serves as a member of the ethical committee for Research Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and as a member of the Research committee of Ayurveda Seva sangh. He has been a visiting associate professor in numerous Ayurvedic colleges in India and various institutes in Australia and Germany. He has authored three books and has published bimonthly health magazine. In addition, he has had over 1,000 articles published in local newspapers, magazine and in scientific journals of Ayurveda. Dr. Kulkarni can be reached at www.ayushree.com or [email protected].
