Acne is a condition where the pores in the skin get blocked by excessive oil, dead skin cells and bacteria, which can result in infection and inflammation. Each pore of your skin opens up to a follicle. The follicle is made up of a hair and an oil gland called a sebaceous gland. The oil gland releases sebum (oil), which travels up the hair, out of the pore and onto the skin. The sebum keeps your skin lubricated and soft.
Acne can occur if either too much oil is produced by your follicles, or if dead skin cells accumulate in your pores causing bacteria to build up in the pores. A pimple appears when bacteria grows in a clogged pore and the oil is not able to escape.
Hormonal changes can contribute to acne. So can certain medications like birth control pills or steroids, a diet high in refined sugars and deep fried foods and chips, and having parents who had acne can also predispose you to the condition.
When I was a young student studying holistic medicine, many years before I opened my Ayurvedic and nutritional practice, I was told that across the board and without a doubt my sickest patients would be those who were on antibiotics for years to treat their acne.
I remember shuddering at the thought, and then I got to see firsthand all the victims of this type of treatment — how the months and years on antibiotics destroyed the foundation of their immune system — the friendly bacteria in the gut — and all the ramifications that resulted from this huge insult to the body: inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, food allergies, fibromyalgia and other autoimmune diseases. All this happened as the immune system totally lost its intelligence, spiraled out of control and started to attack everything in sight — pollen, allergens, foods and ultimately one’s own body.
And there are other medications for acne which can not only trigger autoimmune diseases, but can cause serious health issues in both the mother and her offspring, even if she hasn’t taken the medicine for several years. With our very accurate pulse diagnosis we can feel the toxins from this drug in both the mother and the child’s bone marrow, which has far-reaching side effects if you don’t know how to pull it out, which thankfully we do.
As I learned Ayurveda I was always eager to discover other ways to treat acne without scarring a person for life. So through the years I have both studied the research on acne and have treated numerous cases. I was very fortunate that my teacher, Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra, hailed from a family of Raj Vaidyas who treated the royalty of India and always specialized in dermatology. He himself was a dermatologist and in fact taught some of my patients who were dermatologists.
Vaidya Mishra got all the herbs from India for our patients and made specific formulas in the treatment of acne. For example, he was able to make several formulations out of a very specific herb used for acne, known as semal. He made a formula to be taken both internally as well as a clay mixed with semal and other herbs to be applied directly to the acne. This clay pulls the toxins out of the pores which is then washed off with turmeric soap. Turmeric soap can kill the infection in the whiteheads, blackheads and cysts. Next semal lotion is applied which is then left on the affected areas. All 3 of these treatments are to be done once a day.
We also give Ayurvedically prepared zinc, known as a zinc bhasma, for easier absorption into the bloodstream. The regular zinc molecule is very large and has difficulty crossing across very delicate cell walls, but by incinerating the zinc mineral repeatedly the molecule eventually becomes a very small nanoparticle capable of easily entering the cell.
Zinc has always been used in the treatment of acne and other skin conditions because its anti-inflammatory properties help the body to reduce the redness and swelling seen in acne patients. Studies show that patients who were treated with zinc experienced a decrease in active breakouts compared to those who weren’t treated with it. Zinc also helps in wound healing so it can help reduce any residual acne scarring and the most important thing of all is that studies have shown that zinc can kill the bacteria that invade the pores which cause the acne in the first place.
We clean and cool the blood with coriander tea, which directs the toxins away from the skin and into the urine, allowing for beautiful clear healthy-looking skin. Since acne is caused from oil clogging the pores we also need to clean the fat tissue since it gets clogged from eating the hard oxidized fats found in vegetable oils and fast foods. The sweat is the mala or the detox product of the fat tissue therefore we have to clean both the sweat and the toxic fat tissue with Indian Sarsparilla root. Toxins in the blood heat it up, causing all the inflammation we see with acne, so we add organic dried rose petals in the coriander tea to cool down the heat in the blood. We also add manjistha which helps with the inflammation at the site of the pustules and pimples because it stops the reactivity of the hot toxins exiting through the pores of the skin and as an added bonus it purifies both the blood and the liver.
We use extra potent Manuka honey directly on the acne to kill infection. Manuka honey is produced from the nectar of the Manuka tree found in New Zealand. Manuka honey’s antibacterial properties set it apart from other types of honey. It contains methylglyoxal as its active ingredient which is what is responsible for its antibacterial effects. It is also anti-inflammatory, which is perfect in the treatment of acne since acne consists of both a bacterial infection from the clogged pores as well as inflammation surrounding the pustule. We use it directly on the skin for about 20 minutes a day before rinsing it off.
We also cool the excess heat in the liver with bhumi amla, and heal liver cells which get damaged from cheap vegetable oils using mankand. Mankand is an extremely rare Ayurvedic herb and we are very lucky to be able to include it in our arsenal of herbs to heal the liver.
It is also important to both clean the liver and at the same time keep it cool by using guduchi satwa, and we use neem tea when the patients can tolerate it. Neem is great for infections in the skin and for cleaning the blood and liver, all of which are indicated in the treatment of acne. It has somewhat of a hot potency so we have to be careful when we use it.
But I’m getting way ahead of myself because first and foremost, what always needs to be done, before any prescription is written, is to identify the root causes, treat that, and THEN treat the most superficial symptom, which of course, is the acne.
If you just focus on treating the skin you won’t get very far because this is more of a problem with toxins and heat in the blood plasma, the blood and the liver.
So let’s start at the very beginning: Behind the scenes governing all of our bodies’ processes are three organizing principles of our physiology known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These elements come from nature outside of our body and are known as Prana. Prana is the cosmic radiation coming from the sunlight and moonlight creating Agni (hot energy from the sun) and Soma (cooling lunar radiation) which form Pitta and Kapha in our bodies. Marut is responsible for the movement of the soma and agni and inside of our bodies is known as Vata.
Vata, Pitta and Kapha govern all the various functions of our entire physiology. Vata is dry, quick, moving, rough and cold and governs movements of things in our body, such as the movement of the blood through the circulatory tract. Pitta, the fire element gives heat to all the digestive organs since they have to cook the food when it comes in. And Kapha is heavy, unctuous and cold and is responsible for lubricating our joints and brain, among other things.
We have 3 phases of life: we start out with the Kapha Stage when children are growing and there is much lubrication going on inside their bodies as their joints and brain are developing. The Pitta stage occurs in the teens and twenties as heat automatically increases in the blood, liver and skin during these years and hormones come into play. And the Vata stage of life occurs past the age of 40-50 when drying up of the physiology can occur since Vata is a very dry dosha.
As you can see then, acne usually develops during the Pitta stage of life, and if you don’t know how to manage the heat that occurs during these years as well as the fluctuations in hormones it can create skin breakouts as the skin is considered a pitta organ.
So, what kinds of things can aggravate this heat, or Pitta? Well, first would be going to bed past 10:00 PM since 10 at night to 2 in the morning is when pitta is most active in the physiology. We don’t want to be awake during this time or else pitta will become aggravated in the body. Notice here how teens automatically want to start staying up late.
Also, too much screen time on cell phones, computers and video games is problematic because the radiation coming from these devices also creates agneya or heat in the physiology. Notice again how teens tend to get addicted to these creating further heat in their bodies.
Skipping and delaying meals, running out of the house without eating breakfast can upset pitta as the liver has 5 digestive fires and is a very large organ looking for food to digest. When it is time to eat and there is no food there the liver can overheat and this heat can spill out into the whole body because the liver makes blood from the food you eat.
Junk food also makes the liver very hot and angry, resulting in bad skin. In fact, many people in the Ayurvedic community feel that the skin is showing you the condition of the blood and the liver, so if the diet is clean the skin will reflect that.
And finally, children are exposed to an unprecedented amount of pharmaceuticals between their immunizations, antibiotics, steroids, inhalers and other medications, all of which can heat up the liver. Once the liver is hot, the blood becomes hot, agitating the toxins coming through the skin from the blood, allowing them to create much more inflammation than if they weren’t so heated up.
So the first step in treating acne then is to go to bed on time, avoid screen time as much as you can, never skip or delay meals, eat healthy with less processed, deep fried and fast foods, and try to prevent exposure to as many pharmaceuticals as you can.
Now, as far as the herbs go: we have several treatments for acne, but as stated before, the exact protocol for each patient depends on the underlying causes.
So for example, some of the root causes, besides those just mentioned, could be from high testosterone, which can come from insulin resistance, high estrogen/low progesterone, adrenal overload, leptin resistance, and polycystic ovary disease (PCOS).
After evaluating each patient to figure out which of these causes could be contributing to their acne, we then have to prescribe a treatment protocol to address the various issues in that particular patient.
Luckily we have a whole arsenal of over 500 herbal formulations to address each and every one of these issues.
So let’s start out by taking a look at how we treat the possible causes of high testosterone, since it is known to create acne in women if the levels are too elevated.
The first problem which ties in with high testosterone is insulin resistance where the body isn’t sensitive to the effects of the insulin that it is making. We have numerous herbs in Ayurveda to overcome this problem, always of course combined with dietary changes. For example, cinnamon sticks can be used in combination with other herbs or used in a tea. Don’t use the ground up cinnamon because it loses some of its medicinal properties once it’s ground and the active ingredients start to break down. Cinnamon makes you 25% more sensitive to the insulin your body produces.
High estrogen/low progesterone can also contribute to high testosterone. in my book Healing the Thyroid With Ayurveda I described the domino effect which occurs from thyroid weakness. I explained that when the thyroid is weak the gall bladder automatically doesn’t empty the bile well, and it is through the bile that estrogen exits the body. So when the bile flow is sluggish you wind up with a situation called high estrogen, low progesterone as the estrogen which is sitting in the stagnant bile reabsorbs back into the bloodstream. And of course, we have all the specific herbs to deal with this situation as well.
Excess output of cortisol from the adrenal glands is another trigger for high testosterone. Whenever we’re stressed the adrenals dump cortisol and other stress hormones which shut down thyroid function and create both high testosterone and high estrogen/low progesterone. So with longterm stress you can develop acne as these hormones go out of balance. There are many ways to take the stress off the adrenals, with both herbs and changes in daily routine, early bedtime and proper rest..
Leptin resistance also creates high testosterone resulting in acne. Leptin resistance occurs when the body doesn’t respond to leptin, a hormone produced by your body’s fat cells which is responsible for telling the brain when you have enough fat stored so that you get the signal to stop eating and can burn calories at a normal rate. This system evolved to keep humans from overeating. So when you eat your body fat goes up causing the leptin levels to go up which in turn causes you to eat less and burn more energy.
So many obese people have high levels of leptin which should be giving them the signal to eat less. But with leptin resistance the brain doesn’t receive the leptin signal and thinks that your body is starving making you hungry so you can eat more and desire less exercise.
This situation most often comes from obesity where you get trapped in a vicious cycle of gaining weight and becoming increasingly more leptin resistant over time.
The antidote to this problem is to eat a healthy diet, exercise more and go to bed on time and have a good quality sleep. And these are all the things we recommend to all of our patients anyway, whether obese or not. It’s just that as you incorporate these healthy habits into your lifestyle the leptin resistance will fade away.
Polycystic ovary disease is becoming extremely common nowadays and is caused by a weak thyroid which causes high estrogen/low progesterone which may cause growths on the ovaries. Women may also experience insulin resistance as a result. This is why they too develop acne as these hormones spiral out of balance. View my youtube video on what causes polycystic ovary disease and how to treat it. We are having wonderful results with our unique approach to this very common problem young women are experiencing at epidemic levels nowadays.
So, to conclude, once we identify all the various reasons for the acne, we show the patient how to overcome their issues by taking their herbs, both internally and on the skin directly, and eating freshly made homemade food so they can have quality control over everything they eat. Always remember, as you clean up your diet your skin will reflect that, and the blemishes will clear up automatically.
And of course we teach our patients a good daily routine: how to be in tune with nature’s rhythms, which means going to bed no later than 10 PM, waking up before or as the sun comes up, exercising in the morning, and learning the various ways to cleanse the liver and blood, which again, will be reflected in the skin.
Always remember to try to treat the body in natural ways. Save the pharmaceuticals for life or death situations or for a crisis, as they are riddled with too many side effects. This is especially true for acne. Not only is it not a life-threatening disease, but it responds extremely well to natural remedies for balancing the hormones, cleaning the blood, liver and skin and to changes in diet and daily routine. There’s no need to risk your life to clear up your acne when you have time-proven treatments from the world-renowned dermatologists of the Ayurvedic tradition.
Thank you.