Herbal medicine for skin conditions

Treating teenagers and adults and treating babies and toddlers

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In Chinese medicine, the skin is often a reflection of what's happening internally. Depending on the individual, eczema may involve patterns such as Heat, Dampness, Dryness, Blood deficiency or Wind. Two people can have eczema that looks almost identical but require completely different treatments because the root cause is different.

This is why I don't have a "one cream fits all" approach. Every prescription—whether it's a cream, a bath or internal herbs—is made specifically for the individual sitting in front of me.

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One of the gentlest ways we can treat infants and young children is with herbal baths.

Most children actually enjoy them. It doesn't feel like treatment, there are no needles, and no one is trying to hold them still while cream is rubbed into sore skin. It's simply bath time with carefully selected Chinese herbs.

 

Children often respond particularly well because their skin is naturally thinner and the skin barrier is still developing. This makes their skin more permeable than an adult's, allowing the herbal constituents to come into close contact with the inflamed skin over the whole body. The aim isn't to flood the body with herbs, but to allow the skin to benefit from their anti-inflammatory and anti-itch properties while helping to support healing of the skin barrier.

 

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, these herbs are chosen to clear Heat, resolve Dampness, calm Wind and relieve itching. Because the whole body is immersed, herbal baths can be particularly useful when eczema affects large areas rather than isolated patches.

 

For many parents, bath time also becomes part of the treatment itself. It can be calming, soothing and, for children who are constantly scratching, one of the few times they feel some relief.

 

Alongside the baths, I will often prescribe bespoke herbal creams or ointments, depending on the presentation of the skin. For babies and younger children, this combination is often the ideal place to start.

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Chinese Herbal Medicine Isn't Just for Eczema

Although atopic eczema is one of the most common reasons people seek Chinese herbal medicine, it's certainly not the only skin condition we see in clinic.

Over the years, Chinese herbal medicine has been used to support people with a wide range of inflammatory and chronic skin conditions, including psoriasis, acne, fungal skin infections, perioral dermatitis, lichen simplex chronicus, rosacea, urticaria (hives) and many other persistent skin complaints.

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From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, these conditions may look very different on the surface, but they all tell us something about what's happening inside the body. Is there Heat driving inflammation? Dampness preventing the skin from healing? Dryness leaving the skin cracked and irritated? Is stress causing the condition to flare? Is the Blood unable to nourish the skin properly?

These are the questions that guide treatment.

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That means two people with the same diagnosis may walk away with completely different herbal prescriptions because we're treating the individual, not just the label.

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For some conditions, external herbal creams, washes or baths may be enough. For others—particularly long-standing or widespread skin conditions—internal herbal medicine is often the key part of treatment, with external therapies supporting the skin while the underlying imbalance is being addressed.

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One of the things I enjoy most about Chinese herbal medicine is that it's never a "one prescription fits all" approach. Your treatment evolves as your skin changes, and each consultation gives us the opportunity to reassess what's happening and adjust the herbs accordingly.

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Whether you've been diagnosed with eczema, psoriasis, acne or another chronic skin condition, my aim is always the same: to understand why your skin is behaving the way it is and to develop an individual treatment plan that supports healthier skin over the long term.