Do you, or your loved one, suffer from acne? Do you feel like you've tried everything but nothing seems to work? There's good reason why most acne products don't work. The fundamental issues are:

1. There are multiple factors that cause acne.
2. There is no "broad spectrum" one size fits all acne solution. 
3. Different products address specific causes of acne - if your acne is not caused by the factor that a particular ingredient addresses, it won't work for you. 

​This blog post is meant to be educational and it is my hope that at the end of it, you will be empowered to make appropriate choices towards a solution that works for you. 

What is acne?
Acne is characterized as a chronic inflammatory disease. It presents as closed or open comedones - i.e. whiteheads and blackheads - and inflammatory lesions - i.e. pimples, nodules, pustules. Typically acne is prevalent in young adults with girls being affected at a younger age (average 12 years) than boys (average 15 years). Adults also suffer from acne, typically women, due to hormonal issues. Since acne is characterized as a disease, it is a medical condition.

Causes of acne
There are multiple factors that cause acne. Below are a few well known ones:

• microbial colonization with P. acnes - bacterial infection 
• sebum production - sebum is the term for a complex of oils including triglycerides (fatty acids) and fatty acid breakdown products, wax esters, squalene, cholesterol esters and cholesterol that is produced by the skin. Recent research indicates that certain characteristics of sebum is associated with acne, namely, increased sebum production, alteration of lipid composition and the oxidant/antioxidant ratio characteristic of the skin surface lipids. Diet is linked to these sebum characteristics. 
• complex inflammatory mechanisms - inflammation is the body's immune system's response to an irritant. It involves changes in the blood, such as an increased number of immune system cells.
• neuroendocrine regulatory mechanisms - emotional stress induced acne
• diet - linked to sebum characteristics
• genetic factors - there is some research showing evidence of an "acne gene" 
• hormonal factors - androgens, a group of hormones, are linked to adult acne in women. "Androgens like testosterone stimulate sebaceous gland growth and sebum production. Estrogens have the opposite effect, that is, they inhibit the secretion of androgens, modulate genes involved in the growth of the sebaceous gland and inhibit their function. The activity of the sebaceous gland therefore depends on the estrogen/androgen ratio." 

Current treatment for acne
Modern treatment of acne falls under four categories:

1. Topical - creams, gels, lotions, and washes that are used on the skin and contain drugs and active ingredients that treat acne. Active ingredients include benzoyl peroxide, adapalene, retinoids, dapsone, tretinoin, salicylic acid, sulfur, niacinamide, and gluconolactone. 
2. Systemic - oral or topical antibiotics to treat inflammation. 
3. Complementary and alternative medicine - topical products or oral supplements that are herbal 
4. Physical - comedone extractions, laser treatments, cryotherapy
5. Hormonal - treated by synthetic estrogen via oral contraceptives

These treatment modalities are often combined with hyperpigmentation reducing products containing active ingredients like azelaic acid and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). 
By far, the most common treatment is topical - i.e. products applied on the affected area. 

​The current practice for treating acne combines multiple methods and ingredients in the hope that one or more of them will address the patient's particular acne. 
The major drawback of such an approach is side effects of using too many products, bacterial resistance to antibiotics rendering them ineffective, and expense involved in buying multiple products.

Ayurveda and acne
Given how ancient Ayurveda is, it is quite remarkable how many of the modern acne pathways it covers. Below are various causes of acne that are addressed in Ayurveda: 

• ​Kapha imbalance: Imbalance of Kapha dosha causes sebum issues
• Pitta imbalance: Pitta dosha imbalance causes "blood impurities" - this leads to inflammatory acne
• ​Vata imbalance: Vata dosha imbalance causes blackheads and hyperpigmentation at the site of the acne scar
• ​Improper diet: Certain types of food cause acne - Ayurveda gives practical dietary guidance for acne
• ​Certain activities: excessive sun bathing, excess or too little sleep, and fasting can trigger acne
• ​Emotional factors: Stress, anger, irritation, and behavioral changes cause acne

​Unfortunately, from my study, Ayurveda does not delve much into female hormonal issues in general. So this is a topic that I need to spend more time researching. 

In summary, both modern scientific research and Ayurveda point to multiple factors that cause acne. Therefore the most effective solution is one that is customized to your particular TYPE of acne. While there are many over the counter products for acne, you need to understand the cause of your particular type of acne and the ingredients that are suitable to address it for the products to be effective. The concentration of the active ingredients is also crucial in the efficacy of the products. 

The Ayurvedic approach offers the following benefits:

• To quote from Charaka Samhita, A handbook on Ayurveda edited by Gabriel Van Loon, "[All substances have qualities.] [In reality, all substances will have several qualities.] [By substance, it means food, herbs, weather, music, people, disease symptoms, etc.] [The beauty of this system is that everything in life may be viewed on the same radar screen, as it were, so that cause and effect is easy to see and treatment may be achieved with any substance, so long as it is opposite to the quality of the aggravated substances or pathology. 
• The Ayurvedic approach is inherently a personalized approach - it involves figuring your dosha imbalance, lifestyle, and mental state and thus can be more effective if done correctly. 
• Typically has minimal side effects if done right. 

To learn more, book a consultation with Saroya Natural today!

We all love facials - the ritual of steaming, masking, pore cleansing, facial massage. Blackhead removal - not so pleasant. I'd love to hear what you like about getting a facial! Please share.
However, I bet here's something you didn't know. If you are dark skinned, blackhead removal can actually do more damage to your skin. Why? The curse of pigmented skin is its very easy tendency to scar. Squeezing out blackheads bruises skin and tends to leave behind scars that last forever. Remember that next time someone tries to de-blackhead you!
So what can you do? First we need to understand blackheads.
Blackheads are caused by two things: excess sebum (oil) and debris like dead skin cells. When the opening of a hair follicle gets clogged by these two, a comedone (bump) develops. If the bump is above the skin surface, it gets oxidized resulting in a blackhead. If the bump is below the skin's surface, it is a whitehead. If the comedone gets infected by bacteria, it is a pimple. There's a lot of hooey stuff on the internet with no scientific backing about how to manage comedones and acne ranging from "non-comedogenic" products to oil cleansing. If we were to address the root cause of blackheads, we need to control the amount of sebum produced and prevent the accumulation of dead skin cells. How can we do this? 
Turns out that controlling the sebum production is not easy - it is dependent on hormones which are a bit tricky to manage. We can do something about removing dead skin cells. This is a good review published in a scientific journal about methods to manage acne including alternative therapies. The paper indicates that clay masks are effective in clearing out dead skin due to clay's excellent absorptive and adsorptive properties. 
This paper also indicates the benefits of using clay masks for mild acne although it was sponsored by a company that makes and sells clay!!!
There are different types of clay to use. Examples are Bentonite, kaolin, French Rose, French Green, Fuller's earth (Multani Mitti) ... In general the French clays and Kaolin clay are gentler and less drying. 
Here's what you need to know about applying a clay mask:
1) Cleanse face first
2) You can use water, yogurt, honey, apple cider vinegar as your liquid medium depending on the type of clay and your skin type. For example, bentonite clay is alkaline and it is best to use an acidic liquid like apple cider vinegar to mix your mask. If you are a Vata type person, honey will be a good choice and not dry out your skin. When in doubt, just use water. 
3) Test your skin to sensitivity. If your skin is sensitive, apply a thin layer and leave on for 5-10 mins and wash off. If your skin is not too sensitive, you can leave the mask on for longer. According to Ayurveda, you should not leave the mask on beyond the point that it is just completely dry. 
4) Frequency of application - no more than once a week depending on how your skin likes it. 
Some other helpful tips to manage blackheads:
1) Cleanse your face with a mild Ph balanced cleanser, like this, no more than twice a day - morning and evening. One of the key problems with liquid cleansers are that they are very hard to completely rinse off. It is vitally important to rinse the cleanser off COMPLETELY or the chemicals in the cleanser will clog your pores. A rule of thumb is to wash your face with water 10 times after applying the cleanser.
2) Steam your face to "open" (more technically, clean) your pores once a week. 
3) Minimize the number of products you use on your face. 

Check out our Ayurvedic face mask that is blended with the best skin nourishing botanicals. This product has rave reviews from our customers!

Lastly and most importantly - let your confidence make you beautiful, blackheads or not. Don't obsess - just follow these simple hygiene tips, eat sensibly, and live your life!