Treat Acne with Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture
Acne is a common skin condition among teenagers that occurs when your hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. It mostly appears on the face, chest and upper back and is manifested by lesions such as whitehead acne, blackhead acne, papules, pustules, nodules and cysts and is often accompanied by an exodus of seborrhea. Most cases can be healed by themselves or relieved post-adolescence.
In TCM, Acne is damp-heat accumulation under the skin. But the underlying internal disharmony is the root cause of damp-heat which can come from lung, stomach and spleen, liver. Damp-heat may be a product of poor diet, overwork, lack of sleep or a natural excess of yang energy, typically in young people. When accumulated damp-heat affect the lung or stomach meridians, it’s transformed to the skin, causing an inflammatory response. Damp-heat may also block the qi flow and cause a phlegm or blood stagnation in the skin surface which would cause acne too.
Chinese herbs and Acupuncture work well for acne. How many sessions you need really depends on how sever your acne is, how long you have had it, and how well you response to Chinese herbs and Acupuncture. During treatment, you should avoid spicy, greasy, and sweet food, and keep you in good mood.The following are some cases that I have recently treated.
Cases1: Male, around age 22, student. Ache in the chin and around mouth. Red tongue with yellow slimy tongue fur. Pulse rapid. Acupuncture with wet cupping. He told me acne started to fade away in the next morning and it had all gone in a few days after treatment when we ran into each other a month later. He was so expressed with the quick result and Me either.
Case2: Female, around age25. Acne in the face, especially in the forehead. Oily hair. No period for 3 months. Fatigue, no energy, sleepy all the time even sleep well. Gain weight over 10p recently. Tongue a little large with white slimy tongue fur. Gegen tang and Danggui Shaoyao San plus.
A week later, ache has almost gone and hair has much less oily. Still no period and still feel tired. Tongue became more yellow with dry mouth. Bowel movement is sometimes dry and sometimes loose. Urine’s clear. Chaihu Guizhi Ganjiang Tang and Danggui Shaoyao San plus.
Period came 2 days later after taking herbs. The following period is normal, regular, good flow and no pain. No acne anymore.
Cases3: Female, age 14, student. Having acne over 2 years. She Tried many kinds of treatment but didn’t work. Now she is having acne mainly in the whole face, red, swollen, and pain. Skin in the face is hard. Her face is red and oily. Hair is oily too. Except acne, everything is good with regular period, normal bowel movement and urine, fast and deep sleep. The treatment plans are Acupuncture every other day and wet cupping every week. Her skin and acne got much improved after a month treatment but still not completely clear. Then she took herbs without acupuncture treatment due to vacation and her face was almost clear after she finished the herbs.
