Seasonal Acne

Late spring to summer in the north is always a beautiful transitional period; birds joyfully sing their songs, flowers are in bloom, the sun shines more often than not, and we can finally pack away our bulky sweaters and heavy jeans in favor of lighter clothes. We step out of winter, excited to enjoy the sun, friends, and rosé at the beach, only to find that our face, shoulders, or chest are now breaking out.

There are various imbalances believed to lead to acne appearing on the skin in TCM theory, which fall into two categories:

External Factors

These include improper diet, external environment, and lifestyle choices.  Smoking, drinking alcohol, eating spicy, greasy or too much sweet food will all lead to dampness accumulating internally.  When dampness forms it slows the flow of Qi and blood, and sometimes stops it completely.  When the Qi, blood and/or dampness slow too much, friction is created, warming the area, sometimes to the point of toxic heat forming.

Organ Imbalance

There are five most common organ imbalances that lead to problem skin.  These can be caused by many factors, and usually, acne clients fall into more than one category. 

- Lung Heat - this is usually characterized by papular whiteheads and blackheads which appear on the forehead, around the nose and on the upper back and chest.  A person with lung heat will also usually present with a feeling of heat, maybe a dry cough, sore throat, and may often feel quite thirsty for cold drinks. 

- Stomach Heat - this will generally appear as whiteheads and blackheads around the mouth, and upper back and chest.  When there is heat in the stomach a person can feel excessively hungry, often get canker sores, heartburn, and may notice bleeding gums when they brush their teeth.  They may also have indigestion and be very thirsty.  They will often feel very hot and sweat profusely. 

- Blood Heat - red papules will usually appear around the nose, mouth, and eyebrows.  Hormonal acne most often fits into this category, which gets worse around menstruation.  Many skin rashes and disorders are due to blood heat.  This can be accompanied with mental restlessness, poor sleep, or nose bleeds.

- Toxic Heat - Characterized by pustules which are often painful.  Inflamed cysts may be present, and often present on upper back and chest as well as any location on the face.  When the heat becomes toxic, swelling, redness, and pain are always present.  Dandruff and strong smelling sweat may also present.

- Damp Heat with toxic heat and blood stasis - there will be deep, painful and very red, pus filled cysts and nodules.  Often pitting and scarring occurs at this stage.  This will present with purplish looking lesions, and often leave dark scabs.  The skin is usually quite oily, and although the acne can appear anywhere, it's tends to be in the detox zone, around the mouth, chin, and neck.

- Lung and spleen Qi deficiency - this condition is often underlying, which is combined with or leads to a dampness accumulation.  The papules are often long lasting and are slow to resolve.  This person may have a weak cough, low immunity, and be often fatigued.  Someone may present with a blocked nose, constipation, frequent urination, snoring, or a nasal sounding voice.