Ayurveda for acne in San Ramon

Breakouts along the jaw before your period, cystic spots that scar, or skin that settled in your twenties and has flared again: acne affects teens and adults, and a face wash alone rarely settles it. Preeti Gupta at Minute Wonder Ayurveda in San Ramon looks at the digestion, stress and routine behind it.

Preeti does not diagnose pathological conditions from a Western perspective, so her work sits alongside the care of your physician and never replaces it.

What Ayurveda looks at

Ayurveda often sees acne as excess heat, pitta, with oil and congestion in the skin and a digestive system under strain. Preeti looks at:

• Food that heats: fried, spicy, very sour or sugary, and the timing of late snacks.

• Bowel regularity and digestion, which Ayurveda links with clear skin.

• Your cycle, stress and sleep, and the products that go on your face.

What a First Visit covers

A First Visit is 90 minutes ($250). Preeti reviews your daily routine, diet, digestion, exercise and sleep, using a health history, pulse analysis and tongue diagnosis. For acne, expect time on:

• The pattern of your breakouts across the month, the season and your stress.

• Your dermatologist's advice, any prescription acne medicine, and your skincare routine.

• A cooling, steady food plan and a gentle face routine.

You leave with a written diet, herbal and lifestyle plan. Follow-ups are $125 for 60 minutes. See pricing.

What you can start this week

Start with food:

• Cilantro chutney. Her page calls cilantro cooling, with an anti-inflammatory effect, good for pitta and kapha.

• Mung bean dal. A mild, easily digested meal. Her page says mung beans suit all three doshas when cooked with ghee and spices.

See your physician first if

• Painful cysts or nodules that scar, or acne that began suddenly in adulthood alongside irregular periods or excess hair.

• Redness, swelling and pus that spreads, or acne with fever.

• Before stopping isotretinoin or any prescribed acne medicine. It must stay under your doctor's care.

Common questions about acne

Is face oil safe for acne-prone skin?

Preeti's blog describes a Kunkumadi oil face routine. Whether oil suits skin that is breaking out is individual, so ask her first and patch test.

Does diet really matter for acne?

Ayurveda says what you eat affects the whole body. Preeti reviews your eating and suggests changes, but promises no result, and your dermatologist's plan continues.

How long does it take?

Skin changes slowly. Many clients report feeling a difference within the first few weeks of following their plan, and lasting change usually comes over months.

Ayurveda is a traditional system of wellness and is not a substitute for medical care. Content here is educational. Please consult your physician about any medical condition. Preeti Gupta is not licensed by the State of California as a healing arts practitioner; Ayurvedic services are complementary to the care of licensed providers.