Q When I apply the dermatology steroid ointment it calms down briefly, but a few days after stopping it flares up again. How is Korean medicine different?
A Steroids suppress inflammation quickly, but the oversensitized immunity and internal environment remain unchanged, so flare-ups recur easily once stopped. Korean medicine addresses the root of that hypersensitivity, aiming for a state where you rely less on medication.
Detailed Answer
Topical steroids quickly reduce acute inflammation and itching, but they cannot change the immune state that overreacts on contact or the underlying internal environment. As a result, it improves only while applied and flares up again in the same spot once stopped, and long-term use can also bring the burden of thinning skin.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang, we begin with a heat-clearing, detoxifying (cheongyeol-haedok) stage that empties accumulated heat-toxin and waste to calm inflammation, then stabilize the oversensitized immunity, and finish with a stage that regenerates the damaged skin barrier to prevent recurrence. Because this is an internal-medicine approach that, in addition to avoiding the contacting substance, also regulates the oversensitized internal immunity and constitution, rather than forcing you to stop the ointment abruptly, we adjust it together so you taper off gradually as the skin stabilizes.
Related FAQs
-
Q
Because of my job I can't avoid touching the causative substance. Can it really improve without quitting work?
#Possibility / Realistic Goals
-
Q
I'm in my 30s and have had atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis. Maybe that's why my skin seems to flare up more easily whenever anything touches it. Is there a connection?
#Comorbidities
-
Q
I'm 45, living in Dongincheon. When my digestion is poor and my stomach feels bloated, my skin seems to worsen along with it. Is stomach condition related to dermatitis?
#Comorbidities
-
Q
I'm in my 50s running a restaurant in Dong-gu, Incheon, so my hands are constantly in contact with water and detergent from dishwashing and cleaning. How should I care for my hands?
#Lifestyle Management
-
Q
When I scratch because it's itchy, it oozes and seems to spread more. What should I do when it itches?
#Lifestyle Management