2025 PLOS One
Acupuncture for Skin Conditions
The skin is the body's largest organ and acts as a barrier to the external environment. Many skin conditions are related to the body's immune and digestive systems.
Common, persistent skin conditions requiring medical treatment include eczema and dermatitis, psoriasis and acne. Acute skin conditions include shingles (herpes zoster), itching and hives (urticaria).
What is our clinical experience?
Based on feedback collected from over 1,318 initial appointments for Skin Symptoms, 84% of our surveyed patients reported improved quality of life after their first 5 appointments. See our detailed benchmarking statistics.
InitialConsults
1,318
AverageAppointments
5
ImprovedQuality of Life
84%
Refer Family &Friends
86%
What does the research say?
The following insights are obtained from systematic reviews and analysis of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of Chinese medicine and acupuncture for skin conditions.
2025 Medicine
2024 Medicine
2024 Nutrition Journal
Higher consumption of ultra-processed food by pregnant women was linked to an increased risk of infantile atopic dermatitis within the first year of life.
2023 Medicine
2022 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
2022 Frontiers in Pharmacology
Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) improved AD symptoms but had no significant impact on patients' quality of life or IgE levels suggesting CHM's potential as an AD treatment with further research.
2021 Frontiers in Nutrition
Processed food consumption, particularly pickles and processed meats, is linked with atopic dermatitis in Chinese adults.
2021 American Journal of Translational Research
Using a combined treatment of modified Buzhong Yiqi decoction and Gangtai ointment improves wound healing and anal function for circumferential mixed hemorrhoid patients.
2021 Journal of Clinical Images and Medical Case Reports
Long Dan Xie Gan Decoction combined with valacyclovir appears to enhance the treatment of herpes zoster, improving pain intensity, and crust formation time.
2020 Journal of Dermatological Treatment
Traditional Chinese medicine could potentially serve as an effective alternative therapy for managing Psoriasis vulgaris.
2020 Medicine
Moving cupping therapy, alone or coupled with other treatments, could effectively alleviate symptoms of plaque psoriasis with minimal side effects.
2020 Current Allergy and Asthma Reports
Traditional Chinese Medicine, specifically acupuncture, demonstrates promising effects in managing allergic diseases like allergic rhinitis and asthma.
2020 Journal of Integrative Medicine
Cupping therapy, as an adjunct to current treatments, may potentially enhance efficacy when treating patients with chronic urticaria.
2019 Wound Repair and Regeneration
The herbal medicine Bu Zhong Yi Qi Yang can potentially promote healing in chronic wounds resistant to standard treatments, especially in malnourished patients.
2019 Journal of Pain Research
Acupuncture shows potential in reducing pain intensity, alleviating anxiety, and improving quality of life for patients suffering from postherpetic neuralgia.
2018 Medicine
There is limited evidence that acupuncture is safe and might be effective in pain relieving for patients with postherpetic neuralgia.
2018 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Acupuncture has similar efficacy compared to pharmacotherapies for acne vulgaris, however acupuncture interventions reported less adverse effects and may be a treatment option.
2018 Complementary Therapies in Medicine
Acupuncture may improve symptoms in patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis.
2017 The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Acupuncture-related techniques could be considered as an alternative or adjuvant therapy for psoriasis in short term.
2015 Complementary Medicine Research
Acupuncture therapies demonstrate some potential benefits in treating psoriasis vulgaris, despite conflictions in individual study results.
2015 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Acupuncture is effective for ameliorating itch intensity in itch-related diseases.
2015 Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies
Acupuncture improves outcome measures in the treatment of dermatitis, chloasma, pruritus, urticaria, hyperhidrosis, and facial elasticity.
Seek personalised healthcare and advice
Although well-conducted clinical research can help members of the public to make better-informed decisions about their healthcare, we cannot claim that any particular treatment may be effective for any individual person.
When you consult with our Chinese medicine practitioners, you’ll receive personalised advice and treatment based on your symptoms and Chinese medicine diagnosis.
Research papers
Browse our collection of scientific clinical research on acupuncture for skin conditions.
It includes recent and reputable papers published by peer-reviewed journals within the last 10 years.
2025, May 29
Wrist-ankle acupuncture alleviates pain in the acute phase of herpes zoster: A randomized controlled trial
PLOS One Public Library of Science
Pu J, Li D, Luo X, Wang J, Li Y, Lei L, Zhao X, Du H, Yang X, Du X Full Article
2025, Mar 21
Efficacy of electroacupuncture on clinical signs and immunological factors in herpes zoster: The first systematic review, meta-analysis, and trial sequential analysis of randomized clinical trials
Medicine
Zhou Q, Jing M, Ren H, Li G, Wang Z Full Article
2024, May 17
Efficacy and safety of therapies related to acupuncture for acute herpes zoster: A PRISMA systematic review and network meta-analysis
Medicine
Liang XY, Chen X, Li XM, Yang S, Wang SY, Ma DD, Guo MM, Zhang H Full Article
2024, Jun 25
Association of maternal ultra-processed food consumption during pregnancy with atopic dermatitis in infancy: Korean Mothers and Children’s Environmental Health (MOCEH) study
Nutrition Journal
Children born to mothers with higher UPF consumption during pregnancy had a higher risk of developing AD within the first year of life, even after adjusting for confounding factors and diet quality indicators.
Jang W, Kim M, Ha E, Kim H Full Article
2023, Sept 29
Comparison of efficacy of acupuncture-related therapy in the treatment of herpes zoster: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Medicine
Zhang J, Mou Q, Wang Z, Huang J, Zhang Y, Li F Full Article
2022, Jul 04
Efficacy and Safety of Electroacupuncture for Pain Control in Herpes Zoster: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
He K, Ni F, Huang Y, Zheng M, Yu H, Han D, Ma R Full Article
2022, Sept 27
Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine for atopic dermatitis: Evidence from eight high-quality randomized placebo-controlled trials
Frontiers in Pharmacology
Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) improved the size and severity of the skin lesions and sleep quality in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Comparing the adverse effects between the two groups, CHM is safe. However, CHM does not improve the quality of life or the patient’s IgE levels.
Cai X, Sun X, Liu L, Zhou Y, Hong S, Wang J, Chen J, Zhang M, Wang C, Lin N, Li S, Xu R, Li X Full Article
2021, Dec 06
Processed Food and Atopic Dermatitis: A Pooled Analysis of Three Cross-Sectional Studies in Chinese Adults
Frontiers in Nutrition
Intake of processed foods, including pickles and processed meats, is positively associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) in Chinese adults, with a dose-dependent relationship observed for processed meats.
Li Y, Su J, Luo D, Duan Y, Huang Z, He M, Tao J, Xiao S, Xiao Y, Chen X, Shen M Full Article
2021, Jul 15
The effects of modified Buzhong Yiqi decoction combined with Gangtai ointment on the wound healing and anal function in circumferential mixed hemorrhoid patients
American Journal of Translational Research
Modified Buzhong Yiqi decoction combined with Gangtai ointment for patients with circumferential mixed hemorrhoids has good short-term efficacy. It helps to promote wound healing, improves anal function, and does not increase the incidence of adverse reactions. It is worthy of promotion and application.
Lu B, Du J, Wu X Full Article
2021, May 21
Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine longdanxiegan decoction combined with val-acyclovir in herpes zoster: A systematic review and mate-analysis
Journal of Clinical Images and Medical Case Reports
Our systematic evaluation provides evidence for the clinical effectiveness and safety of Longdanxiegan Decoction (LDXGD) combined with valacyclovir for the treatment of herpes zoster.
Wang X, , Wu L, Hou Y, Ding S, Wang S, Zhang Y, Zhang G, , , , , , Full Article
2020, Jul 09
Evidence and potential mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal of Dermatological Treatment
Overall, the findings we described above indicated that TCM had a good application prospect in the remedy of psoriasis.
Dai D, Wu H, He C, Wang X, Luo Y, Song P Full Article
2020, Oct 09
Moving cupping therapy for plaque psoriasis
Medicine
Moving cupping therapy could be an effective treatment either alone or as a combination therapy for plaque psoriasis.
Xing M, Ding X, Zhang J, Kuai L, Ru Y, Sun X, Ma T, Miao X, Liu L, Wang Y, Li B, Li X Full Article
2020, Sept 02
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Allergic Diseases
Current Allergy and Asthma Reports
It is recommended that acupuncture be integrated into the therapy of allergic rhinitis and asthma, and that CHM be used as an adjunct in the treatment of allergic diseases on an individual basis.
Chan HHL, Ng T Full Article
2020, Jul
Cupping therapy for patients with chronic urticaria: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal of Integrative Medicine
Cupping therapy, when used in combination with antihistamine treatment or acupuncture, was found to be more effective in reducing symptoms and recurrence rates of CU compared to antihistamines alone or acupuncture alone. Wet cupping was also found to be as effective as treatment with antihistamines. However, the poor quality of the reviewed studies calls for caution in interpreting the results and applying them to clinical practice.
Xiao, X., Zhang, L., Shi, Y., Yao, J., Cao, W., Liu, Y., Zou, Z., Zhou, S., Chen, M., Li, C., Zheng, Q., & Li, Y. Full Article
2019, Aug 09
The beneficial effect of traditional Japanese herbal (Kampo) medicine, Hochuâ€ekkiâ€to (Buâ€Zhongâ€Yiâ€Qiâ€Tang), for patients with chronic wounds refractory to conventional therapies: A prospective, randomized trial
Wound Repair and Regeneration
Hochu-ekki-to (HET) may be a choice as an adjunctive therapy for chronic wounds, particularly for patients with malnutrition.
Akita S, Namiki T, Kawasaki Y, Rikihisa N, Ogata H, Tokumoto H, Tezuka T, Kubota Y, Kuriyama M, Nakamura M, Mitsukawa N Full Article
2019, Jul 16
Is acupuncture an effective postherpetic neuralgia treatment? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal of Pain Research American Society of Pain & Neuroscience
Acupuncture may reduce pain intensity, relieve anxiety and improve quality of life in patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Further randomised trials with larger sample sizes and of higher methodological quality are needed to confirm these results.
Pei, W., Zeng, J., Lu, L., Lin, G., & Ruan, J. Full Article
2018, Aug
Acupuncture for postherpetic neuralgia: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Medicine
There was not enough evidence to suggest that acupuncture was superior to pharmacologic therapy in improving global impression or life quality.
Wang, Yang., Li, Wang., Peng, Weina., Zhou, Jing., Liu, Zhishun Full Article
2018, Mar 12
Acupuncture for Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
While caution should be exercised due to quality of the included studies, acupuncture and auricular acupressure were not statistically different to guideline recommended treatments but were with fewer side effects and may be a treatment option. Future trials should address the methodological weaknesses and meet standard reporting requirements stipulated in STRICTA.
Mansu SSY, Liang H, Parker S, Coyle ME, Wang K, Zhang AL, Guo X, Lu C, Xue CCL Full Article
2018, Mar 4
Acupuncture improves symptoms in patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis: A randomized, sham-controlled preliminary trial
Complementary Therapies in Medicine
This randomised controlled trial showed positive effects of acupuncture with improvement of sleep quality, prevention of itching and general quality of life for atopic dermatitis patient.
Smith CA, Armour M, Lee MS, Wang LQ, Hay PJ Full Article
2017, Dec 1
Acupuncture-related techniques for psoriasis: a systematic review with pairwise and network meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Society for Acupuncture Research
This randomized controlled trials showed positive effects of acupuncture for treating psoriasis. Further acu-pressure points were encouraged to relieve inflammation on localised area.
Yeh, M. L., Ko, S. H., Wang, M. H., Chi, C. C., & Chung, Y. C. Full Article
2015, Jan
Acupuncture Therapies for Psoriasis Vulgaris: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Complementary Medicine Research
The results of this review suggest that evidence of acupuncture and related therapies for psoriasis vulgaris is promising. The results showed some benefit in improving Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score and decreasing relapse rate. Acupuncture and related therapies also appear to be a safe treatment option for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris, with no adverse events reported. However, the conclusions are limited by the small-sized trials and conflicting results from single studies. More research is needed to clarify the effect of acupuncture therapies for psoriasis vulgaris.
Coyle M, Deng J, Zhang AL, Yu J, Guo X, Xue CC, Lu C Full Article
2015, Apr 30
Efficacy of Acupuncture in Itch: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Randomized Controlled Trials
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
This systematic review and detailed meta-analysis highlights the efficacy of acupuncture in effectiveness for ameliorating itch intensity in itch-related diseases.
Chi Yu, Pei Zhang, Zheng-Tao Lv, Jing-Jing Li, Hong-Ping Li, Cai-Hua Wu, Fang Gao, Xiao-Cui Yuan, Jing Zhang, Wei He, Xiang-Hong Jing, Man Li, Full Article
2015, Sept
Acupuncture as a treatment modality in dermatology: a systematic review
Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute
The study indicated that acupuncture had statistically significant in treatment of dermatitis, chloasma, pruritus, urticaria, hyperhidrosis, and facial elasticity. Acupuncture was also more effective compared to other alternative therapies.
Ma, C., & Sivamani, R. K. Full Article
It is by virtue of the twelve channels that human life exists, that disease arises, that human beings can be treated and illness cured. The twelve channels are where beginners start and masters end.