Common Symptoms
Skin issues may present as redness, itching, dryness, oiliness, acne breakouts, rashes, or flaking skin. Some people experience sensitive or reactive skin, while others may have chronic conditions such as eczema or psoriasis with recurring flare-ups. Symptoms may worsen with stress, certain foods, weather changes, or hormonal fluctuations.
Possible Causes
TCM View
In TCM, the skin is closely related to the Lung (governs the skin and defensive Qi), Spleen (affects fluid metabolism), and Liver (regulates Qi and blood). Skin conditions often arise from internal imbalances combined with external factors.
Common patterns include:
- Wind-heat or wind-damp invasion (风热 / 风湿) – External factors affecting the skin, leading to itching, redness, and sudden rashes (e.g. urticaria)
- Damp-heat accumulation (湿热内蕴) – Often linked to diet and lifestyle, causing oily skin, acne, inflamed lesions, or weeping eczema
- Blood heat (血热) – Internal heat in the blood leading to redness, inflammation, and flare-ups (common in acne, eczema, psoriasis)
- Blood deficiency with dryness (血虚风燥) – Poor nourishment of the skin resulting in dryness, itching, flaking, and chronic conditions
- Liver Qi stagnation transforming into heat (肝郁化火) – Stress-related imbalance contributing to breakouts, flare-ups, or worsening of skin conditions
- Spleen deficiency with dampness (脾虚湿盛) – Poor fluid metabolism leading to chronic dampness, contributing to persistent or recurrent skin issues
Modern View
From a Western medical perspective, skin conditions may be related to:
- Inflammation and immune system dysregulation
- Hormonal changes (e.g. acne)
- Allergies and environmental triggers
- Skin barrier dysfunction
- Bacterial or fungal imbalance
- Stress and lifestyle factors
- Genetic predisposition
Common skin disease includes:
- Eczema
- Psoriasis
- Acne
- Fungal infections
- Bacterial infections
- Urticaria (hives)
- Vitiligo
How we treat
TCM
Reducing inflammation & calming the skin
Acupuncture and herbal medicine to clear heat, reduce inflammation, and relieve itching
Addressing internal imbalances
Personalised treatment to clear dampness, cool blood, regulate Liver Qi, or nourish blood
Long-term skin health
Focus on strengthening the body’s internal balance to reduce recurrence
Western medicine
- Diagnose the exact disease
- Treat the underlying cause (infection, allergy, autoimmune reaction, etc.)
- Reduce symptoms such as itching, redness, and pain
- Avoid triggers
- Topical treatments – applied directly to the skin
- Oral or injectable medications – When skin disease is widespread, severe, or does not respond to creams
- Light therapy (phototherapy) – Used for Psoriasis, Eczema, Vitiligo, other inflammatory skin disorder
- Procedures and surgery
Wellness
Diet & lifestyle guidance
Advice on diet, stress management, and skincare habits to reduce triggers