Acne
Overview
Acne is chronic inflammation of the pilosebaceous unit presenting as comedones, papules, pustules, and nodules on the face, chest, and back with oily skin, common in adolescence but often recurrent in adult women. Chinese medicine calls it lung-wind comedones, arising from wind-heat of the lung channel, damp-heat of the stomach and intestine, phlegm-damp stasis, liver constraint transforming to fire, or disharmony of the thoroughfare/conception vessels, with heat-toxin, phlegm, and stasis lodged in the skin.
Pattern differentiation (clinical patterns)
Wind-Heat of the Lung Channel
Red facial papules that itch or hurt, facial flushing, dry mouth, mild heat, red tongue tip with thin yellow coating, floating rapid pulse.
Expel wind and clear the lung; cool blood and resolve toxicity.
Stomach-Intestine Damp-Heat
Red swollen painful lesions or pustules, bad breath, constipation, poor appetite, abdominal bloating, dark urine, red tongue with greasy yellow coating, slippery rapid pulse.
Clear heat and transform dampness; unblock the bowel and resolve toxicity.
Connections
Daily care & prevention
Wash gently; avoid squeezing and over-cleansing, and use non-comedogenic moisturizer and sunscreen. Reduce high-glycemic foods, dairy (especially skim milk, with individual variation), and greasy foods; keep regular sleep and manage stress. Do not self-use potent steroid creams long term. Massage Quchi (LI11), Hegu (LI4), Xuehai (SP10), Fenglong (ST40), and Tianshu (ST25). Moderate-severe, nodulocystic acne or adult female menstrual acne warrants dermatology/gynecology evaluation.
When to seek medical care
Seek care for a sudden severe outbreak with fever or joint pain, or a severe flare after starting medication. Facial swelling, fever, or headache after squeezing lesions in the central-face "danger triangle" needs urgent attention.