How to treat acne naturally?
Acne can be a frustrating part of life that is often treated with harsh cleaning solutions, or even harsher medications that can lead to really complex and devastating side effects. Most often, acne is caused by hormonal imbalances, improper diet, insufficient sleep, or harmful cosmetic and cleansing products. Other factors that can impact the skin are drug use, pollution, smoking, poor digestion, irregular menstruation or improper epidermal shedding.
From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, all skin conditions are closely related to the general health of the lung and digestive systems. and the flow of qi and blood. Excessive heat in the lung system, Damp-heat caused by indigestion, or excessive liver heat due to stress, insomnia or over-exposure to environmental toxin, could all be the root cause of Acne.
Focusing on the root causes, TCM offers a number of effective remedies.
Chinese Herbs: Chinese medicine practitioners often use a variety of herbs to help clear up heat and dampness in the internal system. These herbal formula will also reduce inflammation, balance hormone, and enhancing the liver function so as to detox and reduce stress.
Acupuncture: Common modality used include facial acupuncture and body acupuncture. Facial acupuncture mainly focus on improving the energy and blood flow and reducing inflammation at the affected area. Body acupuncture aim at rebalancing the visceral systems, so as to remove the root cause, like improving the digestion system, reducing the lung heat, improving the sleeping pattern and/or de-stress.
Cupping: Cupping is a traditional Chinese medical therapy that involves creating suction on the skin using heated cups. This can help to improve blood circulation, reduce inflammation, and promote the energy flow to heal the Acne
Apart from the treatment, the TCM doctor will also give suggestions on diet and life style change to achieve a holistic healing, and make the treatment effect more sustainable.
