Is psychodermatology the new Ayurvedic skin care? How do these concepts fit into overall beauty? Learn more about these ideas and their relationship to sensitive skin, protection from photodamage, the future of holistic beauty, and more in R&D Science Shilpi Jain (SJ), an expert and founder of luxury brand Skinveda. The following is an adaptation from the interview.
Technology & Technology: How does psychodermatology reflect ancient Ayurvedic beliefs?
SJ: Although psychodermatology is an idea that only emerged in the mid-20th century, its origins date back to Hippocrates. Hippocrates discovered that when you feel fear, your heart rate increases, which causes your skin to sweat. The brain, central nervous system, and skin share the same ectodermal origin. Skin psychology therefore focuses on the bridge between the brain and the skin. There are several skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea, all of which are related to emotional and mental health.
Ayurveda, on the other hand, is a 5,000-year-old medicine that is the oldest practiced in India. The overall premise behind Ayurveda is the balance of the three life energies (doshas). These are actually based on your physical and mental constitution and how it is affected by extrinsic and intrinsic stressors. This is reflected in the skin. In other words, it is a manifestation of stress in the largest organ of the body.
So I think Ayurveda is reflected in psychodermatology and the latter is considered more modern or contemporary. However, Ayurveda is more specific, specialized and personalized.
Technology & Technology: Do these concepts apply to overall beauty? And does this shift toward a mind-body connection mean that formulators need to understand psychology and biology in addition to chemistry? Is not it?
SJ: Yes, Ayurveda is considered holistic beauty as it looks at a 360 degree approach to the skin. It’s not one-size-fits-all. Your diet, lifestyle, the climate you live in, and your behavior in response to stressful situations all affect your skin. Ayurvedic solutions are of course herbal preparations, many of which are used as biomimetic compounds. They are used in more medical products today. Let’s take salicylic acid as an example. Found naturally in some of these herbs. Ayurveda therefore emphasizes holistic aspects and is integrative and preventive.
As a chemist, when prescribing Ayurvedic products, you need to know about the skin, but you also need to understand the doshas, or the physical and mental constitution of a person. Quizzes and surveys can help you really understand what you need to do to balance your doshas. You don’t have to be a dermatologist, but you do need to understand the physiology of the skin and the person’s behavior, such as the mental patterns associated with certain skin diseases.
You also need to have knowledge about herbs, as they have very powerful effects. You can’t just throw in turmeric and coconut or neem and think you’ve got an Ayurvedic formula. All herbs are highly specialized in treating specific ailments and skin problems.
Technology & Technology: How do psychodermatology and Ayurveda relate to sensitive skin?
SJ: Psychodermatology connects the dots between understanding skin and why it becomes sensitive. Skin hypersensitivity indicates that the dermal-epidermal junction barrier is compromised or damaged, which can promote or worsen certain skin diseases.
Returning to psoriasis and eczema, these are conditions in which the skin becomes more sensitive and can become more reactive in certain situations. For example, if you come into contact with fragrances. Sensitive skin increases all the factors that cause all skin problems, including dryness. So, in essence, dermatology examines aspects of skin sensitivity from the angle of how the skin is and what is compromised.
However, Ayurveda is based on dosha balance. Let’s take an example. Vata dosha is represented by wind, and its imbalance means excessively dry skin. In this case, you can imagine a person who is constantly on the go and exposed to very harsh winter conditions. They result in very dry skin. Ayurveda can be used to combat this by giving individual ingredients that help normalize cold, dry skin conditions and administering ones that warm the body. This may include the use of oils or abhyanga (self-massage).
For Pitta dosha, which symbolizes fire, imbalances can aggravate the skin and cause inflammation. These patients are prone to sunburn and should not go outside when the sun is at its brightest because UV light can increase sunburn sensitivity.
Ayurveda therefore considers sensitivity in a very different but similar way. It focuses on your current position in terms of your doshas and dosha imbalances. And there are very specific routines that can be advised to reduce skin sensitivity.
Technology & technology: What is the third dosha type? And are there aspects of each type or specific types that make them more prone to sensitive skin?
SJ: All three can cause sensitive skin. The third dosha is Kapha, which means earth. Although these people are more down-to-earth, their doshas are highly affected by the seasons, especially during the rainy season, so sensitization of Kapha skin can be due to excessive cold or rain. , which can cause skin congestion. This means enlarged pores and inflammation.
If you look at all three doshas, I think Pitta dosha seems to be the most sensitive to the effects of weather and diet. These people are prone to inflammation and skin sensitivity, with the dermis and epidermis junction being the worst and prone to skin damage.
Technology & technology: When it comes to photodamage, are there any approaches based on skin psychology or Ayurveda that can help prevent or repair it?
SJ: Both skin psychology and Ayurvedic approaches support the use of a good sunscreen to protect against UV and photodamage. Skin psychology will look at specific ingredients, such as actives that help block radiation. This can be a chemical or organic sunscreen. We also look at how products, ingredients, and damage affect your skin overall. It’s probably not very personalized as they’re just trying to provide a good sunscreen.
You may need to understand whether your consumers are sensitive to certain ingredients. They need to read the labels and understand what is best for them. For example, some people cannot use organic sunscreens and can only use inorganic sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
Ayurveda again looks at photodamaged skin from a dosha angle (if you are a pitta dosha, why have you been in the sun for so long!?). Since Ayurveda is a holistic medicine, it naturally focuses on natural ingredients to combat sun damage and strives to include certain things to increase the sun protection factor.
For example, Ayurveda has many oils that have their own SPF. These can be used as delivery systems or carriers for inorganic or organic pigments to create a more holistic and natural Ayurvedic suncare routine. However, they are still very effective because they are chemical compounds. However, they are found naturally in certain herbs.
Coconut is one such oil. I don’t know the exact SPF, but I think it’s relatively high. Tulsi oil is another. Contains ursolic acid and other photoactive compounds. In the Western world, argan oil also has SPF. I know it’s not Ayurveda but I wanted to mention it. Jojoba oil and sunflower oil are additional examples.
Technology & Technology: What direction do you have in mind for holistic beauty in the future?
SJ: I think holistic beauty is constantly evolving and has great potential to integrate the latest technologies such as AI and smart skin care devices in the future. Perhaps there could be an app to determine what a person’s current imbalance or dosha is, what their skin type is. This is the integration of Ayurveda’s proponents of imbalance and personalization to its level.
I also think there is a growing respect for inclusivity among consumers. Therefore, holistic skin care brands will need to understand inclusivity from all perspectives, including gender type, race, ethnicity, and skin color. This means celebrating diversity by creating products that span the entire Fitzpatrick scale, a “biophilic” approach to beauty. We also discover, extract and use specific ingredients of natural ingredients that actually benefit your skin. These are all important aspects of overall beauty taken to the next level.
Finally, if skincare brands are a good fit for a place where consumers can talk about their issues, I think working with mental health professionals could be the future direction. There are many mental health issues that directly affect your skin. we know that. Scientifically, it has been proven that there is a strong connection between the brain, skin, and gut. So any collaboration between mental health professionals, doctors, and skin care brands would be a huge accomplishment.
