The skin is an outward reflection of our internal health. Dull skin, for instance, may indicate dehydration, a lack of essential nutrients, or an inconsistent skincare routine. As the most visible organ, the skin also provides insight into the health of the body tissues it protects. It's more than just an aesthetic aspect—it’s a window into overall well-being. Disorders of the gut, blood, hormones, and even the heart can manifest as skin issues, such as rashes.

Ayurveda has long emphasized the importance of skincare. In today's fast-paced world, a proper skincare routine is indispensable, not only for physical health but also for mental well-being. While modern skincare offers a plethora of products, many come with side effects. Ayurveda provides a holistic solution, addressing skincare concerns naturally and sustainably.

Ayurvedic Skin Types

Ayurveda classifies skin types based on the three doshas:

1. Vata (Wind) Vata

Vatadominant individuals tend to have dry, rough skin that wrinkles easily if not properly moisturized.

• Oil application: Pinda taila is ideal for moisturizing dry skin.
• Internal care: Mahatiktaka ghrita helps reduce dryness.
• Face pack: Use Eladi churna or Navara rice face packs to moisturize and reduce dryness.
• Hydration: Drink plenty of water to combat dehydration.

2. Pitta (Fire) Pitta

Pitta dominant individuals often have oily skin, prone to acne, rosacea, and discoloration.

• Oil application: Nalpamaradi tailam is best for pitta skin.
• Cleansing: Wash your face with Eladi or Manjishtadi water to reduce discoloration and tone the skin.
• Cooling elements: Use aloe vera, turmeric, and sandalwood to combat inflammation, pimples, and redness.

3. Kapha (Water and Earth)

Kapha skin tends to be cold, oily, and prone to pimples, whiteheads, and water retention.

• Avoid oil-based creams: Use face masks regularly to control sebum production.
• Therapy: Dhara with Triphala churna or Eladi water is beneficial.
• Oil application: Eladi coconut oil is ideal.

Panchakarma for Healthy, Radiant Skin

Panchakarma therapies help detoxify the body and enhance skin health. Key treatments include:

Abhyanga and Pizhichil: These therapies pacify doshas, enhance skin tone, and act as natural moisturizers.

Navara Kizhi: Improves skin softness and complexion.

Snehapana: Internal lubrication with ghee to maintain hydration and promote a natural glow.

Ubtan: A traditional herbal paste for exfoliation and nourishment.

Lepam: Herbal poultices to soothe inflammation and heal skin conditions.

Garshan/Udwarthanam: Dry brushing to stimulate circulation and exfoliate dead cells.

Shirodhara: Oil pouring therapy to relax, de-stress, and improve sleep quality.

Panchakarma Detox: A five-step detoxification process to cleanse the body and rejuvenate the skin.

Internal Routine for Healthy Skin

1. Stay hydrated and drink 2–3 liters of water daily. Incorporate water-rich fruits and vegetables like watermelon, cucumber, and oranges. Herbal teas with ginger, lemon, or chamomile aid digestion and promote glowing skin.

2. Follow a balanced diet based on your Ayurvedic prakriti and elevated doshas. Include whole grains, dairy, seasonal fruits, and antioxidant-rich foods like tomatoes, broccoli, and papaya. Avoid fried, refined, and processed foods, as well as excessive sugar, salt, and red meat.

3. Regular exercise promotes blood circulation, detoxification, and skin nourishment. Activities like yoga, walking, or dancing improve oxygen flow, flushing out toxins and revitalizing the skin.

4. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Restful sleep stimulates growth hormones, promoting collagen and elastin production, which keeps skin firm and youthful.

Small, gradual adjustments in daily routines can lead to healthier, more radiant skin. Embrace an Ayurvedic skincare regimen, complemented by panchakarma therapies, to achieve sustainable and natural skin health.

Perimenopause has become a regular conversation and its been high time that people are talking about it. You can see friends discussing it, social media coverage has increased and more importantly women are discussing this with their gynaecologists.

For decades, menopause was thought to be a single event - that is the day the periods stopped, but today we understand that the transition lasts for a few years. These changes can affect the quality of a woman’s life and hence I’m glad the conversation has gained more traction.

Perimenopause-Related Changes

Also read: Yoga Or Strength Training: What Can Help Manage Hot Flashes During Perimenopause?

First lets understand what perimenopause is. It literally means “around menopause” Its a transition phase where the ovaries gradually change the production of the hormones, mainly oestrogen and progesterone. It usually begins in the early 40’s but some women may experience it earlier.

One of the commonest signs of this is a change in the pattern of your menstrual cycle. Periods can be become longer or shorter, heavier or lighter. Basically the menstrual cycle becomes a bit unpredictable.

But periods aren’t the only sign. A woman may start experiencing disturbed sleep cycles. She may wake up randomly at 3am or feel exhausted despite getting 7-8 hours of sleep. Hot flushes and night sweats may also occur. Mood changes, irritability, anxiety and difficulty in concentration can also affect her quality of life.

Some women complain of being forgetful or more commonly used term "experience brain fog”. They forget names, lose train of though or struggle to multitask. There can also be a change in libido, vaginal dryness, discomfort during intercourse, headaches, join pain and alterations in skin and hair.

Besides this there could possibly a change in the body composition. A woman may notice increasing abdominal fat or find difficulty in maintaining her weight even though her lifestyle hasn’t changed.

Why The Current Focus On Wellness Is Important?

Also read: Explained: Why Some Women Start Experiencing Joint Pain As They Approach Menopause

The good part of this increase in awareness is that women are paying more attention to their health early rather than waiting of menopause. This transition phase provides a golden opportunity to reassess exercise, nutrition, sleep and preventative healthcare.

Strength training becomes even more valuable as it helps maintain muscle and bone mass.

Adequate protein, calcium and Vitamin D intake along with a balanced diet helps long term metabolic and bone health.

During this time, its important for a woman to even assess her cardiovascular health. Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and weight don’t just become numbers on the chart anymore, they become important markers of future health during this time.

Not Every Symptom Should Be Blamed On Hormones

However every label shouldn’t be blamed on perimenopause. Thyroid disorders, anaemia, vitamin deficiencies, depression and few other medical conditions can produce similar symptoms.

Unusually heavy bleeding, bleeding between periods or after intercourse also warrants medical assessment rather than being dismissed as “just hormones”.

With the increasing accessibility of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, more people are shedding pounds. But the transformation can come with its own caveats — sagging skin, hair loss and dental issues that may require further attention.

And if you thought women were the only ones taking the plunge, think again.

While women still account for the overwhelming majority of aesthetic treatments, demand among men in the US has risen in recent years, particularly among those who have undergone significant weight loss through GLP-1 therapies.

More US Men Seek Cosmetic Treatments

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, men underwent 1.7 million cosmetic procedures in 2024, including surgeries and minimally invasive treatments such as laser skin resurfacing and Botox injections. That was a 2.7% increase from the previous year.

Of the total, more than 98,000 were surgeries, with eyelid surgery, liposuction and tummy tucks among the most commonly performed procedures.

“I’ve seen probably a doubling in the number of male patients that I treat over the last one to two years,” Sean Alemi, a New York-based facial plastic surgeon, was quoted as saying to Reuters.

Also read: Lehengas, Diets & Now Mounjaro: The New Must-Have For Indian Brides?

Experts say demand will keep rising as more weight-loss drugs, including new pill versions, reach the market.

In the first quarter of 2026, nearly 70% of men who underwent surgical procedures had a history of GLP-1 use, Dr. Bob Basu, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said.

Younger men often seek procedures to remove loose skin and improve the appearance of an athletic physique, while older men are focused on signs of aging, particularly in the face and neck, doctors said.

Rapid Weight Loss May Affect Surgical Outcomes

Read More: GLP-1 Drugs Making You Lose Muscle Along With Fat? Scientists Discover Game Changing Weight-Loss Compound To Tackle It

The growing popularity of GLP-1 drugs has also created a new generation of body-contouring patients, along with new challenges for plastic surgeons, according to recent research by Duke University.

The research suggests that how much weight patients lose — and how quickly they lose it — could affect surgical results when tightening or removing excess skin after massive weight loss.

For the study, published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Duke researchers analyzed more than a decade of abdominal body-contouring procedures, such as tummy tucks, and found that patients who lost large amounts of weight quickly faced higher risks of surgical complications.

The more than 500 patients studied were grouped based on how they lost weight: through bariatric surgery alone, GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide alone, or a combination of both.

The highest complication rates were seen among patients who combined surgery with GLP-1 drugs that reduce appetite. These patients not only lost the most weight overall — about 29% of their body weight, compared with 10% among GLP-1 users — but did so at the fastest rate.

A New Challenge for Plastic Surgeons

But those rapid changes may come with tradeoffs, said senior study author and professor of surgery Ash Patel, MBChB, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Duke Health.

“These are highly effective weight-loss tools, and they are changing the patient population we see in body contouring,” Patel said. “We’re operating on people whose bodies have undergone rapid, profound changes, and that affects healing.”

Kidneys are two bean shaped structures, located on the back side of the abdomen, one each on right and left side. It filters blood by removing waste products via urine. Besides this it also functions as an endocrine organ, producing hormones like renin (for blood pressure control), erythropoietin (for hemoglobin production) and aids in active vitamin D formation (for bone health).

Though human beings have two kidneys usually, there are situations where individuals can lead a healthy life on one kidney. This could be developmental anomaly (since birth). Congenital absence of one kidney is called renal agenesis, and these individuals lead a normal life with normal kidney function.

Sometimes, a single kidney is acquired due to removal of one kidney for donation. As in a healthy donor gives their kidney to someone in need, whose both kidneys have failed. This is indeed a noble gesture and one that does not come with any significant impact on the donor’s quality of life.

Can You Live With One Kidney After Donation?

Also read: When a Fever Is More Than a Fever: Recurrent UTIs in Children Can Put Kidneys at Risk

The process of organ donation, where a healthy person’s healthy kidney is removed for the therapeutic purpose to benefit another individual suffering from kidney failure, is called donor nephrectomy. The first such surgery was done in the USA in the year 1954, with open surgery.

Now a days, most donor nephrectomies are done either with laparoscopy (key hole surgery) or robot assisted. Thus, a question that often arises in such times is, whether one can live with one kidney after kidney organ donation? To understand this, one should first understand that a donor undergoes a thorough rigorous fitness evaluation to determine if kidney donation is viable.

During this evaluation process, kidney function of both kidneys are evaluated. The kidney donor is deemed fit to donate the kidney only after it is ascertained that the donor has two healthy kidneys free from any disease, and the donor would be able to lead a normal life with one kidney. it is also ascertained that the other kidney transplanted in another is also having good kidney function to survive in the recipient.

What Happens To The Donor After Kidney Donation?

Another commonly asked question that doctors often get is, what happens to the kidney donor with one kidney after donation? Most kidney donors live long healthy life after organ donation. However, it should be appreciated that every individual is different, and age at the time of organ donation matters a lot. Risk is generally low, and they carry out their regular activities as before. Rarely the donor has a slight chance of developing high blood pressure or protein leak in the urine.

However, overall risk of significant kidney disease is <1%, which is considered less than having the similar risk in general population. Though, there may be slightly higher chances of developing high blood pressure during pregnancy in a kidney donor. However, in majority of cases, Kidney donation is generally a safe procedure, and most donors continue to lead healthy, active lives with one kidney. With appropriate long-term follow-up and healthy lifestyle choices, donors can maintain excellent kidney health after donation.

By Dr. Hemant Mehta, Consultant Interventional Nephrologist, Lilavati Hospital and Research Center, Mumbai