Let’s take a look at a couple of our patients who saw us looking for natural treatment of acne.

Anna and Emily, a mother and daughter pair, were both suffering from acne and looking for a holistic solution.

Emily was sixteen. Since going through puberty at age 12, she had acne breakouts every month right before her period started. Her skin was generally greasy skin with red cheeks. She also suffered from menstrual pain, intense moodiness and irrational behavior during her cycle each month.

Her mother, Anna, was struggling with menopause. She had hot flashes, severe night sweats, and acne around the area of her chin and jaw. Before the onset of menopause, she hadn’t had acne in decades. But for the several months before her first visit, her menopausal symptoms were worsening and her breakouts were becoming intense. At the time of treatment, she had a number of bumps on her chin as well as some painful, deep nodules along the border of her jaw. Her skin was generally dry with some patchy pigmentation on the lower half of her face.

Emily and Anna described themselves as a “hormonal hurricane” and joked about what fun they were to be around at certain times of the month.

Although both Emily and Anna suffered from acne related to hormonal imbalances, their “patterns of disharmony” from the point of view of Chinese medicine were completely different. The acne appeared in different parts of the face. Emily had whiteheads, whereas Anna had papules and nodules. Emily had greasy skin with redness, Anna’s skin was dry with areas of dark patchiness. And the pre-menstrual symptoms of moodiness and pain indicated a completely separate pattern from menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.

Emily’s herbal formula had 12 ingredients. Anna’s formula had 18. They were both given herbal toners and masques. The ingredients in the internal formulas, toners and masques were totally different.

Emily noticed dramatic improvement in just two weeks of treatment. She continued to take herbs for nine weeks. By then her skin had completely cleared up and it remained clear on an ongoing basis.

Anna, on the other hand, saw results more slowly. Her night sweats and hot flashes improved gradually over the course of 6-8 weeks. Her chin and jaw were mostly clear after three months. The uneven pigment took even longer to smooth out. She remained on herbs for a total of 5 1/2 months before she was fully satisfied with the look of her skin.

Both mother and daughter were extremely pleased with their results. Holistic treatment got to the root of their imbalances, and both women ended up with beautiful, radiant skin.