Acupuncture, in combination with Chinese Herbs, have been applied to help with different types of skin diseases, including but not limited to the following.

Urticaria

Urticaria is a commonly encountered allergic dermatosis. It is usually due to eating fish, shrimps and crabs; or due to stinging contract with pollen, nettle and certain chemicals; or due to stimulation of cold or hot air. The clinic presentations are fresh red or grey-white rashes in the skin in different size, with cutaneous pruritus. The rashes occur and disappear very quickly, with no trace after disappearance. Acute case may heal in several days, while chronic one may heal several months or years. This disease belongs to the category of “hidden rash” or “wheal” in Chinese Medicine, which is due to excessive intake of greasy food leading to the retention of endogenous damp-heat in the skin.

Eczema

Eczema is a commonly encountered dermatosis dut to the stimulation of kinds of factors to people with allergic constitution. It is clinically characterized by skin rashes that are of multiple forms, moist, with serious pruritus, becoming red and effusive after scratching, and easily relapsing. This disease belongs to the category of “tinea boil” in Chinese Medicine. There are terms of “damp toxin boil”, “milk tinea”, “ear boil”, “anus round tinea” according to different symptoms and location of disease. The causes of this disease are complicated. In modern medicine, it is believed to be allergic disease and belong to the delayed allergic reaction. In Chinese Medicine, it is believed that this disease is caused by the invasion of pathogenic wind-heat and interior accumulation of damp-heat, leading to stagnancy of pathogenic factors in the skin and striae. This disease is divided into two types of acute and chronic eczema.

Herpes Zoster

Herpes zoster refers to virus disease due to the invasion of varicella-zoster virus into nerve and skin. It is clinically characterized by clusters of blisters like a belt in the areas where peripheral nerves distribute, and the local burning pain. It is usually seen on one side of the chest, face, eye, abdomen and thigh, etc.. This disease belongs to the categories of “snake boil” and “fire blisters along the lumbus” in Chinese Medicine. It is caused by exogenous virulent wind, dampness and heat; or by stagnancy of fire in the liver and gallbladder together with damp-heat in the spleen meridian that fumigates meridians and skin. As pathogenic factors block the meridians long and lead to unsmooth circulation of qi and blood and obstruction of blood stasis in the meridians, it may lead to lingering local pain.

Neurodermatitis （Psoriasis）

Neurodermatitis is a chronic dermal inflammation characterized by paroxysmal pruritus and lichenoid change of skin. It is also named chronic simple lichen. The causes of this disease are still not completely known at present. It is possible the onset is related to neuropsychic factors and some of exogenous factors. This disease belongs to the category of “psoriasis” or “collar-surrounding boil” in Chinese Medicine. It is believed that this disease is caused by obstruction of the muscle and skin due to exogenous wind, dampness and heat, or by constitutional blood-deficiency and liver hyperactivity, and deficiency of yin and blood, leading to malnutrition of the muscle and skin.

Acne Vulgaris

Acne vulgaris refers to a chronic dermatosis due to the inflammation of the hair follicle and sebaceous gland. It is usually seen in adolescence. One of the main causative factors is endocrine dysfunction. It occurs mostly on the face, chest and back, characterized by papules, pustule and nodes, etc. This disease belongs to the category of “acne” or “acne frontalis” in Chinese Medicine, usually caused by accumulation of heat in lung meridian, or immoderate diet resulting in internal generation of damp-heat, leading to retention of heat or damp-heat in the skin.

Flat Wart

Flat wart refers to virus small growth in the superficial skin. It is a hard flat papule, usually seen on the dorsum of hand or face in the teenagers and young adults. In Chinese Medicine, this disease belongs to the category of “verruca plana”, which mostly caused by retention of pathogenic wind-heat in the skin, or liver depression and blood deficiency as well as stagnancy of qi and blood.