Prevention and Management of Skin Aging in Unani System of Medicine: A Narrative Review.

The process of aging starts at birth and continues till death which affects human physiology and its appearance. According to Unani literature, the innate heat and innate moisture reduce gradually with increasing age. This decreasing innate heat and moisture weakens the Tabiyat and slows down bodily function, resulting in the low production of humor and a high production of extraneous moisture, which in turn alters temperament i.e., melancholic temperament which is susceptible to various ailments like skin-related problems. Unani literature is very rich in cosmeceuticals formulations that take care of the appearance and deal with cosmetic diseases in humans. The evolution of cosmetics and cosmeceuticals in Unani medicine was explored by the work of Unani Physicians of the pre and post-Hippocratic era. Zakariya Razi (854-925) established a chapter on cosmetology and principles for beautification under the name "Zeenat wa araish" in his famous book "Kitab al-Mansuri". Al-Zohrawi (936-1013 AD) was a cosmetologist and an Arab physician who wrote a voluminous medical encyclopedia "Kitab al-Tasrif" in 30 volumes, mentioning cosmetics. He distinguished cosmetics as a branch of medication and the drugs used to improve beauty as Advia Muzayyenah /Adwiyat al-Zinat. In this paper, the concept of skin aging, skin anti-aging strategies, skin care procedures, and prescriptions for beautification of the face as well as wrinkle reduction in the Unani system of medicine has been discussed in detail.