Acne, also known as acne, is an infectious inflammation of the sebaceous glands of the hair follicles. Most of the sebaceous glands on the surface of our body open at the follicle opening. Once the follicle opening is blocked, excess sebum metabolizes to produce excessive fatty acids and Propionibacterium acnes multiplies in an irritating, closed environment, causing an inflammatory response in the skin. Acne manifests itself from mild to severe as whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, inflammatory papules, pustules, cysts and nodules. Pimples that are red and have white spots and pus are a sign of the presence of bacterial infection. Chinese medicine believes that acne can be caused by the fumigation of the skin by the wind and heat in the lungs, or by the heat of the blood in the body of young people, which leads to stagnation of the blood and Qi. If the disease is persistent, the Qi and blood are stagnant and the meridians are not smooth, or the accumulated heat in the lung and stomach is not resolved for a long time, which generates phlegm from dampness and stagnates phlegm and blood, resulting in localized nodules and cysts. In short, the root of the disease is the prevalence of blood-heat in the body; the conditions for the disease are poor diet, emotional disorders, and external aggression; blood stasis and phlegm nodules make the condition complicated and serious. The treatment of acne needs to be symptomatic. To treat acne, many people think that a little medicine or a beauty treatment at a salon can get rid of acne, but they do not know that acne is also divided into types, and improper treatment can lead to disfigurement. According to the different types of acne, Chinese medicine uses treatments such as clearing heat from the lungs and stomach, dispelling dampness and phlegm, moving Qi and blood, clearing heat and draining the liver, and treating acne symptomatically according to its different manifestations, such as draining pus, reducing swelling, dispersing nodules, and softening firmness. 1. Wash your face with warm water and pay attention to cleanliness The standard of cleansing is to be able to cleanly wash away the oil and dust on your face without irritating the skin and disrupting the normal acid-base balance of the face. It is important for acne patients to keep their skin clean, but they should also be careful not to wash their faces desperately. 2 to 3 times a day is enough, too often will stimulate the sebaceous glands to secrete more and increase greasiness, making acne worse. Wash your face with lukewarm water and no harsh soap. For oily skin, use alkaline soap or cleanser; for normal and dry skin, use a weakly acidic cleanser. Some people mistakenly believe that makeup can cover acne and protect the skin, but they do not know that after makeup, a lot of foundation accumulates in the pores and mixes with sweat and airborne dust, forming dirt and blocking pores, which can easily produce acne or make acne worse. 3, reasonable diet Diet should pay attention to “four less and one more”, that is, less spicy food (such as chili, onion, garlic, pepper); less greasy food (such as vegetable oil and animal fats such as lard, cream, fat); less sweet food (such as white sugar, rock sugar, brown sugar, glucose, chocolate, ice cream, etc.); less “hairy food” (such as dog meat, mutton, etc.), eat moderately more cool vegetables and fruits, and keep the bowel movement smooth. Spicy and high-fat foods are hot in nature and can produce a lot of energy, which makes internal heat worse. Most acne patients have heat in their bodies, so eating such foods is undoubtedly “pouring oil on the fire”; after consuming foods high in sugar, the body’s metabolism will flourish and the secretion of sebaceous glands will increase, thus causing acne to appear continuously. Fruits and vegetables that are good for reducing sebum secretion and promoting acne remission, such as apples, pears, tomatoes, watermelon, cucumbers, loofahs, winter melons, bitter melons, tarragon, black fungus, etc., can be eaten appropriately, but it is also necessary to prevent stomach injury after over-eating. In addition, fruits with high sugar and heat such as lychee, longan and durian should be eaten sparingly. Care after acne 1. If the acne rash is small and the inflammation is mild, you can try some simple and easy dietary treatment methods and wait for it to subside. If the rash is large and the inflammation is heavy, you should actively treat it. In particular, if pustules, nodules, abscesses, or cystic acne are not treated in a timely manner, depressed or proliferative scars will remain, affecting the appearance of the skin. Therefore, not only does acne need to be treated, but it should be treated aggressively and reasonably. However, acne can be mild or severe, and the causes are complex. It is not recommended that patients use their own medication, as improper medication can aggravate the problem. 2. Chinese medicine treatment Chinese medicine treatment for acne is based on evidence-based treatment, according to the patient’s pathology such as wind-heat in the lung, damp-heat in the intestines and stomach, loss of health in the spleen, and imbalance in the flushing of the body. 3. Combine work and rest and lead a regular life Acne has a great relationship with staying up late or having a frequent night life. If you don’t get enough sleep, your skin’s resistance decreases, and acne is likely to appear on your face. Therefore, if you adjust your work and rest schedule appropriately, you can reduce the occurrence of acne by living a regular life and living in a disciplined manner. 4, maintain a happy spirit Spiritual and psychological factors are very important to the treatment of acne. If you have acne, do not be burdened psychologically, so as not to cause neuroendocrine disorders and aggravate acne. Be optimistic and confident, and adhere to positive and reasonable treatment. 5. Avoid squeezing acne, otherwise it will lead to a lot of trouble, such as possible scarring or pigmentation, and sometimes aggravate the redness and pain of acne, or even cause septic infection.