Acne

What is Acne?

Acne is a skin condition that affects many people.  If you have acne, you’ll experience frequent outbreaks of pimples, often with multiple pimples appearing at a time.  These pimples occur due to dirt, bacteria, oil, or dead skin cells clogging up your pores.  This article will describe the types, causes, and treatments for acne including Chinese Medicine and acupuncture.

Acne

Acne Types:

There are a few different types of pimples which you can get if you have acne.  Whiteheads, blackheads, pustules, papules, nodules and cysts are the most common ones.  These can appear on your face, back, neck, or chest. Whiteheads are pimples that form as bumps under your skin, while blackheads remain open and have a darker colour due to oxygen.  Pustules are red pimples with pus at the top and papules are small red bumps caused by infected hairs.  Lumps that occur beneath your skin can either be nodules (if they are solid) or cysts (if they contain pus).

Causes of Acne:

You may experience acne when your skin pores become blocked by substances like oil or dirt.  The tiny holes in your skin are called pores, which contain a follicle made up of a hair and an oil (or sebaceous) gland.  The oil produced by your oil glands helps to keep your skin soft.  But if your skin produces too much oil it may cause acne.  Similarly, if dead skin cells or bacteria get trapped in your pores, this can also lead to pimples.

Certain factors can also increase your risk of acne. Stress, poor sleep, medications like some birth control pills, and changes in hormones can influence whether you experience acne or not. 

Acne Treatment:

You can treat acne with different medications depending on the severity of your symptoms.  Medications can come in the form of creams, which may contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.  Your doctor may prescribe an oral antibiotic for moderate to severe cases of acne, or even hormonal birth control treatments.  However, all medications come with the risk of side effects, which may vary according to the medication you take and the length of time you take it.

Home remedies like applying aloe vera or tea tree oil can also help you to heal pimples.  It’s also important to avoid popping pimples and touching your face in general, as these can both lead to acne spreading.

Acne

Cosmetic Acupuncture for Acne:

Another treatment option for skin problems like acne is cosmetic acupuncture.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture is used to heal diseases in your body, but acupuncture can also be used for your appearance too.  Acupuncture is a process in which your Chinese Medicine practitioner inserts very thin needles into specific pressure points on your body.  These points connect to the network of energy meridians in your body.  Your practitioner can use acupuncture to access these meridians, to promote healing.

One way to encourage healing is to energise any weaker organs.  The major organs in your body are all connected to each other, and any weaknesses or imbalances in these organs can impact on your health.  For example, your lungs and large intestine are responsible for maintaining breathing, bowel motions, and skin health.  So, if you have a skin problem like acne, you may be suffering from weak lungs.  The great thing about acupuncture is that you can treat issues like acne by strengthening the weaker organs, as well as by placing needles directly in the face.  This can stimulate blood flow, which allows more blood to heal the face.

Click here to find out more about how acupuncture can help you treat skin problems.

Conclusion:

Acne is a common but uncomfortable skin condition.  It can appear as different types of pimples and occurs when your skin pores get blocked.  Medications can be used to treat acne, but these often come with side effects.  However, acupuncture is a great natural treatment option to help heal your body from the inside out. Our highly qualified and professional practitioners can use acupuncture techniques to treat acne in a natural and effective way.

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Burke, D. & Coelho, S. (2022, February 23). Everything You Want to Know About Acne. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/skin/acne

Centre of Balance Hamilton: Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine (n.d.). Archive for category: Facial Acupuncture. https://balancetcm.co.nz/category/facial-acupuncture/

Phua, S. (n.d.). What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine? Centre of Balance Hamilton: Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine. https://balancetcm.co.nz/traditional-chinese-medicine-hamilton/

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Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.