My appointment with an Ayurvedic doctor that felt more like a therapy session
It changed my skincare routine and how I approached life
My skin, like my personality, has seen many phases. There was the pre-puberty era, when my face was like a chaand without any daag. Then came the teenage years, when it turned moody. Clear on some days, erupting like a tiny volcanic field on others. Every time I stepped out into the scorching sun, my face would develop little bumps like the texture on the bottom of anti-skid socks.
Eventually, in my early twenties, my skin began to act more predictably—or rather, I learnt its rules. I knew, for instance, that if I had an extra glass of milk, I was risking the arrival of acne. Or if I use a product that didn’t suit me, my skin wouldn’t take it lying down. But when I respected its boundaries, it stayed largely calm and friendly.
When I entered my thirties, the dark circles showed up with their loyal best friend, puffiness, in tow. In the past year, my pores started appearing larger. Certain areas of my face felt drier. Acne popped up more frequently than it ever had in my twenties. And most unsettling of all, my skin’s texture began to change; the smoothness I once took for granted was replaced with unevenness.
By the end of last year, my skin had become downright uncooperative. Random, angry pimples appeared. Makeup began to look patchy instead of polished. I was using the same products, doing the same prep, but it wasn’t working anymore. It felt like my skin had gone and switched the rules again without informing me.
That’s when I decided to explore Forest Essentials’ customised skincare, guided by an in-house Ayurvedic doctor. I’d always enjoyed their products, especially their face washes, so when the option of a personalised consultation presented itself, I readily signed up.
Seeking answers
A call was scheduled almost immediately with Dr Sumedha Gupta, an Ayurveda doctor at Forest Essentials, who instead of asking about my skin, began by asking about me.
My sleep, my stress, my work routine. Whether I spend more time indoors or outdoors, how active I am, what I eat and if I have any health conditions. As I began answering her questions, I heard myself describe my lifestyle out loud, and for the first time, I saw it for how chaotic and unsustainable it truly was.
I was averaging about five and a half hours of sleep on a good day. My nervous system would refuse to switch off even when my body begged for rest. Sleep deprivation turned coffee into my primary fuel source. My job is sedentary, but I walked around 8,000 steps daily. My skincare routine had been almost entirely ignored; the only products that made it through were face wash, sunscreen and lip balm. Plus, I have PCOD, which flared up during stressful phases, making my period heavy, long and irregular.
Sure, there were some good parts: my meals were largely healthy: vegetables, lentils and mostly home-cooked food (something my mother-in-law proudly announces to anyone willing to listen). And I drink lots of water throughout the day. But breakfast again was…not great. Just one apple and, predictably, coffee.
With my PCOD worsening and my skin sounding alarm bells, I realised as I spoke to Dr Gupta that this was my moment of reckoning.
Understanding my skin through Ayurveda
Dr Gupta explained that in Ayurveda, skin health is governed by three doshas or biological energies: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These are responsible for our overall health, physical and psychological. Everyone has all three, but one or two usually dominate. Based on my lifestyle, routine, and skin concerns, she told me my skin was predominantly Pitta-Kapha.
She explained that my dosha constitution blends Pitta’s intensity and warmth with Kapha’s stability and nourishment. While this dosha constitution supports endurance and naturally resilient skin, it can also predispose one to various issues.
“Pitta dominance represents excess internal heat,” she further explained. “This leads to redness, inflammation, sensitivity, and painful acne. Kapha dominance, on the other hand, leads to excessive oil production. And when oil secretion exceeds the skin’s natural elimination process, it results in congestion, pore-blockage and textural irregularities.”
Uneven texture, inflammation, visible pores, bumps, congestion, and dullness—this was exactly the cocktail my face had been serving lately. Suddenly, my skin struggles made sense.
Skincare starts from within
Dr Gupta said to me simply: skincare needs to be approached in two ways, externally and internally. Externally, we support the skin barrier and replenish essential molecules like lipids, peptides, and hydration. Internally, we address digestion, metabolism, hormonal balance, hydration, and sleep.
The lifestyle changes she suggested felt gentle, doable, and grounding. She recommended sipping fennel and ginger-infused water through the day. Fennel to cool Pitta’s internal heat, ginger to regulate oil production and metabolism, balancing Kapha.
In the mornings, instead of surviving solely on apples and caffeine, she encouraged me to add antioxidant-rich fruits like berries, or healthy fats like avocado, that provide deeper nourishment for the skin.
My sleep routine, however, she said, needed my immediate attention. “Skin repair primarily happens at night. When sleep is disrupted, melatonin release is affected, leading to impaired repair, barrier damage, uneven texture, dullness and premature ageing. No serum in the world can replace deep rest.” Maybe my mother was right after all—sleeping on time does fix (nearly) everything.
To help calm my overactive nervous system, she suggested foot massages before bedtime, a traditional Ayurvedic practice that stimulates pressure points, reduces stress and promotes relaxation. Lavender essential oil (here’s your guide to essential oils) could further induce sleep, she said.
It all felt less like skincare advice and more like an invitation to live in a way that was a little kinder to myself.
My customised skincare plan
Based on my concerns—uneven texture, open pores, congestion, and dullness—Dr Gupta told me the customised formulation would focus on balancing Pitta and Kapha while restoring clarity and glow. After our conversation, Dr Gupta shared her analysis of my skin, lifestyle, and doshas with Forest Essentials’ research team who then sent me a plan tailored to my needs. A couple of weeks later, I received the products.
The recommended ritual would begin with a customised activating serum, packed with niacinamide and zinc PCA to regulate oil production, refine pores, smooth uneven texture and brighten skin, without clogging pores. Its lightweight, non-comedogenic formula would prepare the skin to absorb the cream more effectively.
What fascinated me most was how the serum was crafted: using an Ayurvedic technique which involves slowly infusing herbs into water, over time creating a deeply potent, bioavailable base that amplifies the formula’s effectiveness.
The serum would be followed by a cream. My customised cream included Ayurvedic ingredients such as Kumkumadi tailam, which is revered for its brightening, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Licorice extract, which helps to brighten and even skin tone. Manjistha, a herb that purifies blood, reduces open pores and improves skin texture. And saffron extract which enhances radiance and reduces blemishes.
For faster and targeted results, these would be paired with modern actives including niacinamide, that would even skin tone, refine texture, and reduce blemishes; and betaine, that would deeply hydrate.
Night skincare, she emphasised, is especially important because that’s when the skin enters its natural repair cycle. Active ingredients penetrate better, regeneration is heightened, and the barrier is strengthened—provided, of course, that sleep actually happens.
How it helped my skin
You may profoundly understand the need for a lifestyle change and be given an expert-approved list of ways to do it too. But let’s be honest, it’s not an overnight process. It takes time, and if you ask me what I am doing about it, I’ll only say, “My best”.
I have been trying to sleep early. I get into bed around 11pm, and read a few pages on my Kindle (currently, I am devouring Endling by Maria Reva). If that doesn’t work, I occasionally turn to online window-shopping, which always tires me out. It may not be the best way to induce sleep and was definitely not recommended by Dr Gupta, but I am doing what works in the absence of chloroform. The foot massages she did recommend, I outsource to my husband a few nights and they do help in winding down.
Around 12 am, I drink some chamomile tea, add a few drops of lavender to my aroma diffuser, and fall asleep soon. The slightly improved sleep has restored some of my skin’s previous suppleness.
I have started drinking fennel or ginger water too, but not throughout the day, although I intend to get there especially with the days slowly turning hot. For now, I have it in the morning.
Most importantly, whether it’s because I got a professional consultation and received products made for me, or realised the importance of skincare, I’ve got back into a regular routine. I start by washing my face and patting it dry. I go on to apply the essence, which feels like nectar—it glides smoothly and is very hydrating. And I follow it up with the serum and the cream.
When I finish my skincare ritual, it feels like my skin immediately absorbs all the goodness, without any sensation of greasiness or heaviness. And the next morning, it glows, feeling hydrated and pliant, as if I’ve injected these products directly into my skin. And now makeup has begun to sit better too, blending more easily.
Over the past month, I have also noticed that my pores look smaller and my acne scars have started to fade. There has been a slow-but-sure improvement in the texture of my skin.
The best part? When I apply these products, I don’t stress about whether they will suit my skin or irritate it. I don’t wonder if the actives are appropriate to combine. The personalisation has made the process completely worry-free.
