Ayurvedic Acne Clinic

Acne is a disorder of the skin, which has sebaceous (oil) glands that connects to the hair follicle, which contains a fine hair. In healthy skin, the sebaceous glands make sebum that empties onto the skin surface through the pore, which is an opening in the follicle. Keratinocytes, a type of skin cell, line the follicle. Normally, as the body sheds skin cells, the keratinocytes rise to the surface of the skin. When someone has acne, the hair, sebum, and keratinocytes stick together inside the pore. This prevents the keratinocytes from shedding and keeps the sebum from reaching the surface of the skin. The mixture of oil and cells allows bacteria that normally live on the skin to grow in the plugged follicles and cause inflammation, swelling, redness, heat, and pain. When the wall of the plugged follicle breaks down, it spills the bacteria, skin cells, and sebum onto nearby skin, creating lesions or pimples.

Acne types vary depending on the severity of a condition:

• Whiteheads (closed plugged pores)
• Blackheads (open plugged pores)
• Small red, tender bumps (papules)
• Pimples (pustules), which are papules with pus at their tips
• Large, solid, painful lumps under the skin (nodules)
• Painful, pus-filled lumps under the skin (cystic lesions)

Classical Ayurvedic texts teach us that our bodies and the skin are made up of five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. The Earth element gives structure and firmness to the skin. It is in muscles, collagen, elastin, and connective tissues. The Water element is abundant and gives moisturization and plumpness by being present in intracellular spaces, the lymphatic system, and blood vessels. The Fire element is responsible for metabolism in the skin, the health of blood vessels (red and white blood cells) and skin complexion. The Air element provides speed for the skin metabolism, including water metabolism. It carries oxygen to skin cells and takes out waste products, is responsible for nerve impulses, sensations, and muscle constrictions. Space, or Ether, as an Ayurvedic element, connects everything together and provides space for other elements to fill in.

Disease occurs when there’s an imbalance in the doshas. Ayurveda teaches us that almost all diseases have their roots in the digestive and nervous system. Skin reflects what is going on inside the body and gives us a clue about what inner organs or systems have gone out of balance.
A few causes of acne:

• Eating foods that aggravate your leading doshas, or doshas that are out of balance
• Incompatible foods
• Wrong eating habits (frequent meals or snacking a lot, eating in hurry or when distracted, eating when angry or anxious, etc.)
• Problems with sweating
• Switching from hot to cold and vice versa too fast (this traps fire of Pitta energy in the skin, especially if a person has an inherent predisposition for skin imbalances)
• Too much or not enough exercise (not in accordance with your constitution)
• Hot yoga, saunas, steam rooms for those with inflamed acne
• Other causes, including specific medications

Each person has a dominant dosha that shapes their physical constitution and personality. Thus, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for any disorder, including acne.

There are three aspects of the Ayurvedic Acne Program that are equally important. The first is a home skincare regimen for you, created according to your specific acne type, severity, skin sensitivity, age, and Fitzpatrick skin type. The second is a series of professional facial treatments customized to achieve the best results. The third is mandatory changes in your diet and lifestyle to eliminate the root cause of the problem. The key to success is to work from all three angles plus your compliance to the prescribed treatment plan.

As an Ayurvedic doctor, Certified Acne Specialist and Licensed Esthetician, I will help you to:

• Find the root cause(s) of your unique acne case
• Create a customized home skincare plan
• Provide professional topical acne treatments (cleansing facials)
• Create a holistic treatment plan, which will include food choices, herbs, and lifestyle changes
• Adjust your home skincare plan according to your progress

If you are interested in the Ayurvedic Acne Program, you should start with an acne consultation first. The first appointment (acne consultation) will include the following:

• In-depth acne consultation, including your acne causes and triggers
• Skin diagnosis and product testing
• Detailed treatment plan for the program
• Ayurvedic advice on food choices, herbs, and lifestyle changes.

The price for the first 60-minute visit is $55.

You can add your first acne cleansing facial for your face or back (60 minutes) to this visit. When booking, please choose

Ayurvedic Acne Consultation & Acne Cleansing Facial ($140).

If you decide to join the program, expect to invest about $150-$180 for a set of Face Reality products (5-6 items for home care), which will last approximately 10-12 weeks.

To get acne completely clear, clients are required to be seen every two weeks or once a month for cleansing facials for the first 12 weeks. Sometimes a client cannot come for treatment due to traveling or other reasons; in this case, we will schedule a phone or Zoom meeting to go over the healing progress, and changes in the home care regimen might be recommended.

Prices: