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Seven Ways to Keep Your Skin Youthful
Rama Kant Mishra
Each year, Americans spend billions of dollars on beauty products to
prevent their skin from aging. Yet the best ways to keep your skin
healthy and youthful cost very little. Here are seven tips from the
healing science of Ayurveda:
1. Get adequate sunlight.
Over-protecting from sun is not a good idea because some gentle
sun is nourishing to the skin. The challenge is to maximize the
benefit from sun and at the same time protect it from damage. Short
periods of exposure to the early morning sun allow even very
sensitive Caucasian skin to absorb necessary Vitamin D.
Avoid long exposure to the sun whenever you are angry, hungry or
emotionally upset, as these factors increase heat in the body and
make the skin more sensitive to sun damage. At these times it's
important to protect yourself by wearing a hat and sunglasses.
People with more Pitta (fire element) in their body should always
take care to protect themselves from the midday sun.
If your skin is easily damaged by the sun, try reducing the
sensitivity from the inside. Eating green, leafy vegetables and
fruits such as raisins, pears, apples, and pomegranates, for
instance, will help cool, nourish and restore balance to sensitive
skin. Cook your food with a skin-friendly spice mixture: equal parts
turmeric, coriander, fennel and cumin saut?brvbar;ed in ghee (clarified
butter). Avoid eating too much ginger, garlic, asafetida, hot red
peppers or any types of hot peppers even in winter if you are
sensitive to the sun.
2. Avoid Chemicals.
Harsh chemicals in your shampoo, skin products, or soaps irritate
the skin and cause it to become overworked and overheated.
A strong preservative or antibacterial agent in skin-care
products, for instance, kills harmful bacteria but at the same time
destroys enzymes that trigger absorption and lubrication. The result
might be permanent dry patches, oversensitive skin, or susceptibility
to sun damage.
Instead, use skin care products that contain all-natural
ingredients and are designed to balance and nourish all seven layers
of the skin.
It's also essential to avoid eating chemicals and preservatives
in your food by buying organic foods whenever possible.
3. Eat for your skin type.
Different skin types require different foods. Vata skin is dry,
thin, small-pored, delicate, and cool to the touch. Vata skin may
age faster, and tends to be dry, rough and flaky when out of balance.
Or your skin may be more Pitta -- fair, sensitive, soft, warm,
and of medium thickness. When out of balance, Pitta skin can flare
up in rashes, rosacea, acne, or sun spots.
Kapha skin tends to age slower and form less wrinkles than the
other two types. It is thick, oily, pale, soft and cool. Kapha skin
types may struggle with dull complexion, enlarged pores, excessive
oil, blackheads, pimples, moist types of eczema and water retention.
Once you determine your skin-type, you can follow the Vata,
Pitta, or Kapha pacifying dietary guidelines to keep your skin
balanced, healthy and youthful. Vata skin types, for instance, will
want to eat more warm, unctuous foods and favor the sweet, sour and
salty tastes to balance the dry, rough, moving Vata dosha. If you
have a Pitta skin type you will thrive on sweet, bitter and
astringent tastes, as found in sweet, juicy fruits, rose petal
preserve, and cooked greens. Avoid hot, spicy foods.
The oiliness of Kapha type skin calls for a diet that is warmer,
lighter, less oily, and free of heavy, hard to digest foods. Eating
more bitter, astringent and pungent tastes help stimulate digestion
and balance Kapha skin.
For a more detailed explanation of dietary suggestions and skin
types, please visit http://www.mapi.com.
4. Soothe Away Stress
There are three types of stress, and all three impact the skin in
different ways. Mental stress starts a chain reaction that ends in a
drying out the moisture in the skin. Thinning, dryness and the
shrinking of the srotas (microchannels) that carry nutritive fluid to
the skin result in wrinkles and stress lines. Emotional stress also
affects the skin-just notice how anger or embarrassment can turn your
face red. This shows the connection between emotions and the skin.
If emotional stress becomes chronic, the result is acne, sun
sensitivity, and other Pitta-based problems. Physical stress is
caused by exercising too much, working too much, or straining the
body over a period of time. Like mental stress, this causes the
drying out of skin moisture and rough, aged skin.
To counteract mental stress, maintain a Vata-pacifying diet and
daily routine. To bring emotional stress into balance, follow a
Pitta-pacifying diet and routine. For physical stress, try to limit
exercise or work to fifty percent of your physical stamina.
For lifestyle and diet tips for Vata, Pitta and Kapha, please
visit http://www.mapi.com.
5. Cleanse and gently exfoliate.
Every skin type needs cleansing, but Kapha skin needs it the most.
This is because people with Kapha skin often have low agni.
Consequently
ama collects in the body, clogs the channels of the skin and causes
excessive oil on the surface.
Many people with Kapha skin try to counteract oiliness with
products that are too drying. Instead, try cleansing the pores so
the skin can be nourished from the inside.
The Kapha person should be careful not to clog their pores by
using greasy creams, exposing their skin to freezing weather, or by
eating heavy, sweet, oily foods. Take warm baths, cleanse with a
gentle herbal cleanser, and exfoliate with an herbal clay twice a
week to gently cleanse the pores, remove impurities and open the
channels.
Vata skin types should avoid any products that are too drying.
Pitta types should avoid products that are too abrasive or heating.
6. Rehydrate from the inside and outside.
It's important to moisturize your skin from the inside to keep
the inner layers of the skin from drying out and to provide necessary
nutrients to the surface. Drink lots of water, and in cold weather,
drink hot water to open the channels and help clear away toxins. If
you have sensitive skin, stick to room-temperature water.
Include plenty of vegetables and sweet, juicy fruits in your diet
to moisturize the skin. Be sure to eat healthy oils, such as ghee
and olive oil to provide essential lubrication.
Massaging your body skin on a daily basis is also essential to
keep the skin young and healthy.
7. Nourish your skin.
Besides following the diet for your skin type, these foods are
terrific skin-enhancers: leafy green vegetables; easily digested
proteins such as paneer, milk, tofu, sunflower seeds; foods high in
zinc such as quinoa; and beta-carotene-rich foods such as carrots and
sweet cherries. Almonds and walnuts support the skin with their
protein and lubricating fat content.
Some skin-friendly spices include turmeric to nourish the first
four layers of the skin; cumin to rid the body of ama; black pepper
to cleanse the channels, and fennel to balance the transformational
ability of the skin. All antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables,
such as pomegranate, apple, pear, and bitter, green leafy vegetables
are also excellent for the skin.
Eat only intelligent foods, which means fresh, whole and organic
foods. Stay away from packaged, canned, frozen, processed, and
packaged foods. Leftovers are also a no-no.
Disclaimer: This article imparts education on ayurveda, and is not
intended to replace standard medical advice or treatment.
About the Author:
Rama Kant Mishra is a world-renowned ayurvedic dermatologist whose
practical advice on wellness and beauty is feaured in ayurvedic
newsletters at http://www.mapi.com.
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