How I Approach Rosacea with TCM Dermatology
Rosacea is one of my favorite skin diseases to support because it responds quite well to both herbal medicine, acupuncture, holistic skincare, nutrition support, and microneedling. Essentially, you have A LOT of options.
But not all rosacea is alike. Some kinds of rosacea have a more superficial burning and redness, whereas others have more pustules--so everybody’s plan will be different, and I’ll be sure to recommend what’s best for you during your initial consultation.
Nevertheless, the process is the same:
Determine the appropriate pattern
There are several main patterns in Traditional Chinese Medicine for rosacea. In order to determine your particular pattern, I take a good look at your skin and ask questions regarding the cycles of your outbreaks, your digestion, your sleep, your menstrual cycle (if applicable), any itchiness or burning sensations, your sweating, and other influential factors.
I also ask what was happening in your life around the onset of the rosacea, as sometimes there’s a clear event (such as a parasite diagnosis, grief, or previous antibiotic treatment). I’ll also ask some questions about your nutrition and skincare practices/products (though these really take a secondary or even tertiary role).
We’ll also talk about what might be a sustainable treatment strategy in the long-run. For some folks, they’d rather come in for acupuncture. Other people only want herbs. Some people want to try everything, everywhere, all at once. I’ll happily guide you toward a treatment plan with your preferences, constitution, and lifestyle in mind.
Once I determine which pattern might be affecting your skin, I move onto the next step: figuring out a treatment plan!
Treatment plan options
For rosacea, there are often quite a few options for treatment, and I often recommend a combination of modalities for the greatest support. Here’s a list of possibilities:
Microneedling
Facial acupuncture
Herbal Medicine
Nutrition
Topical Skincare
Constitutional Acupuncture
If there are no pustules, microneedling treatments, once a month for several months, can be incredibly supportive for helping to vent the heat associated with rosacea in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Otherwise, a series of regular facial acupuncture treatments can be wonderful, especially if there are pustules or clear circulation/stagnation issues in the skin.
As far as herbal medicine is concerned, there are some clear protocols for supporting rosacea-prone skin. Generally speaking I offer herbs in both granule or decoction forms, depending on the intensity of the skin issue.
We’ll often discuss nutrition and skincare products, but I place less of an emphasis on these. If there are clear digestive concerns, nutrition conversations might be more involved, but there’s no fancy elimination diets I’ll recommend--just solid, time-tested Traditional Chinese Medicine nutrition. And as far as skincare products are concerned, less is more with rosacea, especially if there are burning symptoms. Generally speaking, I’ll recommend a very pared-down skincare routing (often involving some combination of rose hydrosol or calendula hydrosol), a basic facial oil, and leave it there. You can find my favorite products for rosacea-prone skin here.
Finally, there are sometimes some body acupuncture protocols that can support the skin if there are clear digestive issues, lingering grief, or stagnation stuck in the body--but I often look to body acupuncture last for rosacea cases, and really only if the individual is unable to take herbal medicine or tolerate facial acupuncture.
Follow-up
After we put together a plan for you, we meet on a regular basis to see how things are going. How are the herbs or acupuncture working for you?
Occasionally I’ve seen cases where these approaches don’t work, and then other lab testing is necessary to check for autoimmune issues or thyroid issues. But that is rare, and really only necessary if we’re really stuck.
If you’re interested in holistic rosacea support in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’d love to support you! Feel free to book an initial consultation or a free 15 minute consult, and I’d be happy to offer you my experience.