Acne

Q It's hard to come in often because of work. Is a non-face-to-face consultation possible?

A. If your symptoms are stable, you can begin the consultation and intake non-face-to-face. However, accurate pattern diagnosis and herbal prescription require an in-person visit, and if severe nodules or cysts cause significant pain, we recommend an in-person visit first.

Q Acne always comes up around my chin right before my period. Can this kind of hormonal acne improve with Korean medicine too?

A. Acne that recurs around the chin and mouth along with the menstrual cycle is closely tied to hormonal fluctuations. By managing the heat and balance that stir up the body each cycle, you can reduce the degree of premenstrual flare-ups.

Q Along with acne, my face gets oily and shows red, flaky, itchy patches. Can this be treated together too?

A. When red patches and flaking appear in oily areas along with acne, conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis may be overlapping. Both are linked to internal heat and dampness, so they often improve together when treated together.

Q What everyday habits help reduce acne?

A. The key habits are not touching or squeezing with your hands, sleeping before 11 p.m., and cutting back on greasy and sugary foods. Small changes in habits can make as big a difference as medication.

Q How should I wash my face and wear makeup? I'm afraid of irritation, so I can't bring myself to put anything on.

A. Gently wash away sebum twice a day with a non-irritating cleanser, and don't scrub too hard. Protect your barrier with low-oil moisturizer, but avoid heavy makeup that clogs the pores.

Q My acne is severe and I was advised to take isotretinoin (the Roaccutane class), but I heard the side effects are frightening. Do I really have to take it?

A. Isotretinoin is powerfully effective for severe nodular and cystic acne, but it can cause fetal malformations during pregnancy, so strict contraception is essential for women of childbearing age, and effects such as depression have also been reported. Whether to take it must always be discussed with the prescribing physician.

Q I'm currently using a topical medication and oral antibiotics from a dermatologist. Is it okay to take herbal medicine at the same time?

A. It's fine to use them together if you space them out in time. You can keep using your topical medication, and we advise spacing oral medication and herbal medicine about 1 to 2 hours apart. As your skin stabilizes, we gradually taper the conventional medication.

Q My acne has flared up and calmed down repeatedly for years now. Can it really become clear? How long does treatment usually take?

A. Even long-standing cases can stabilize well once the body's heat-toxins are cleared and the skin's regenerative power is restored. Typically, with about 3 months of consistent treatment, we aim for a noticeable reduction in new breakouts.

Q I picked at it and now I have marks and scars. Can scars improve too, or can you only prevent more from forming?

A. Scars that are already deeply pitted are difficult to fully reverse, but the most important thing is to prevent new scars from forming. The key to scar prevention is calming inflammation quickly and not touching the skin.

Q Why does acne develop?

A. It begins when androgen hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more oil, and the follicle opening becomes clogged with dead skin cells and sebum. The core mechanism is that acne bacteria (C. acnes) break down the trapped sebum inside the follicle, triggering inflammation.

Q I'm in my late 20s with a desk job. My skin was fine as a student, but lately acne only comes up around my chin and mouth. Why is this happening as an adult?

A. Adult acne, especially when concentrated around the chin and mouth, is strongly influenced by hormonal fluctuations and stress. It tends to appear when the body cannot regulate heat that rises upward, so it calls for a different approach than teenage acne.

Q I run a business in the Dongincheon area, so my meals are irregular and I often have greasy delivery food and drinking gatherings. Will treatment work even if I can't fix my diet completely?

A. Greasy food, flour-based food, and alcohol directly aggravate acne inflammation. Treatment can still proceed even if you can't fix everything, but reducing them along the way makes the results much faster and longer-lasting.

Q Are there specific foods that particularly worsen acne? I'm not sure what to watch out for.

A. Greasy food, flour-based food, processed food, sweets, and alcohol are the main aggravating factors. Cutting back on irritating foods and switching to a light, vegetable-centered diet reduces both sebum and inflammation.

Q I'm looking for a clinic to visit near Dong-gu, Incheon. How does the first consultation work?

A. At the first visit, we listen in detail to when and where the acne appeared, your lifestyle, and your eating habits, and we examine your skin and overall body condition. Based on this, we decide on the pattern diagnosis, treatment plan, herbal prescription, and lifestyle guidance together.

Q If I treat acne with Korean medicine, in what specific order does it proceed?

A. It proceeds in three stages: first emptying the heat-toxins to calm inflammation (clearing-heat and detoxification), then stabilizing the overreactive immune system, and finally regenerating the damaged skin to prevent recurrence. Herbal medicine and acupuncture are used together at each stage.

Q What should I prepare before the consultation?

A. If you organize since when and in which areas the acne is most severe, which foods or situations make it worse, and the medications and cosmetics you are using, your consultation will be faster and more accurate.

Q I've taken dermatology antibiotics for over a year, but it comes back within days of stopping. Is there a way to calm it down without medication?

A. Antibiotics only temporarily suppress inflammation, while the internal environment where sebum and heat-toxins accumulate remains, so it tends to recur once you stop. By changing that environment itself, you can aim for a state that no longer relies on medication.

Q I've tried all the well-reviewed cosmetics and cleansers, but it only helps briefly and keeps coming back. If topical products don't work, how is Korean medicine different?

A. Topical products only address the skin surface, so they have limits. When acne stems from heat-toxins and damp-heat inside the body, you need to clear that cause from within to reduce recurrence.