Ailments & Remedies

Skin allergy

From the Ayrvedic point of view, the activities in the human system are controlled by the three "doshas" - "vata, pitta and 'kapha' and any disturbances in one or all of them can cause disease. It is known as 'udarda' and 'sheetapitta' in Ayurveda.

Skin as per body type:

Vata skin is in general dry, thin, cool to the touch, easily gets dehydrated, and is very vulnerable to the influence of dry windy weather.

Pitta is mostly fire, so the Pitta skin type tends to have more breakouts, photosensitivity, less tolerance to hot food, less tolerance to fieriness in temperament. Pitta skin looks ruddy, and is warm to the touch. Pitta skin types tend to be more prone to freckles and moles than the other skin types.

Kapha dosha is predominantly water and earth, so Kapha skin tends to have all the qualities of water and earth -- it can be greasy, thick, and more tolerant of the sun.

Skin allergy is the body’s over-reaction to one or more allergens. There are thousands of different allergens all around us and almost any substance can provoke an allergic reaction in someone (who is very sensitive) in our environment.

Skin allergy types

There are four main types of skin allergy, each caused by different allergens. Fortunately, there are many ways to relieve the symptoms. But in order to choose an appropriate treatment, it’s important to identify which type of allergy you have.

• Contact dermatitis
  The Greek word ‘Dermatitis’ means ‘inflammation of skin’, is caused by touching a certain substance. In most cases, the main symptom is a red rash, but it could be one of a number of allergens that causes it, including metals, chemicals, rubber, plants and even pets.
  

• Prickly heat
  Warm weather often causes the itchy red rash known as prickly heat. The exact reason is not known till date, but some people think it’s due to sweat getting trapped under the skin.

• Bites and stings
  Irritations from insect bites and stings can be uncomfortable but reactions tend to be short lived.

• Urticaria
  This type of allergy is often called nettle rash, because it comes up as an itchy red rash, raised in the middle. Confusingly, it has nothing to do with stinging nettles at all but is caused by eating a certain food or taking a particular drug.

Healing Options

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