Skincare
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Skin Types according to Ayurveda
8. Thousands of years ago Ayurveda highlighted various tones and textures of the skin as a major characteristic of different persons:
(i) Skin of Vata Person – The skin of the vata dominated persons is in general dry, thin and cool to touch and has dry hair. When balanced, it glows with a delicate lightness and refinement, but in a dry and windy weather or in certain adverse conditions it is prone to excessive dryness and may even become rough and flaky. Vata skin has a tendency to disorders such as itching, pruritis, dry eczema and fungus afflictions. Mental stress and worries and lack of sleep and rest have a powerful debilitating effect on it by making to look tired and listless.
(ii) Skin of Pitta Person – The pitta skin is fair, beaming, soft, warm and of medium thickness, having fine and straight hair. Under normal conditions, it has a pinkish or reddish tinge and is invariably prone to excessive sweating and copious moles and freckles. It is the most sensitive skin having a tendency to develop rashes, pimples, furuncles and pigment disorders. With oily undertones, it has least tolerance for sun, is photosensitive and gets its problems aggravated by the consumption of hot, oily and spicy food.
(iii) Skin of Kapha Person – The kapha type of skin is thick, soft, moist and unctuous in nature. With hair that are characteristically thick and wavy, kapha people have adequate muscles and fats under their skin and are fortunate to develop wrinkles much later in life. If their skin becomes sick, it can show up as dull, congested, having nodular enlargements and looking like having water retention. Kapha skin is more prone to clogging. Consumption of heavy and hard to digest food, application of oily and greasy substances and undermining of body hygiene can give it problems like fungal infections and wet and oozing afflictions.
9. It is usually seen that many people at the same time have both dry and oily skin or have certain zones which are different in appearance and nature. Most noticeable of these is the T zone which separates the skin of forehead and nose from the rest of the face. Ayurveda, too, has described dual prakriti having characteristics of two body types. Certain other factors like the hormonal status,
