Acupuncture has the potential to influence skin disease at several different levels: 1) it seems to have local and general effects on the disease processes including the immune response; 2) it can reduce symptoms such as itch; and, 3) it can also produce generalized effects such as reduced anxiety. In China, acupuncture has been used to treat dermatological problems for thousands of years, however the current Western literature mainly consists of case reports. The only controlled studies are in experimentally induced itch. In China treatment is generally given either daily or on alternate days for courses of 10 sessions, repeated as necessary after an interval of a few weeks. In the West treatment is usually given weekly over an extended period, usually 4-8 months.

See the following:

• Experimental itch
• Pruritis
• Eczema and Dermatitis
• Psoriasis
• Postherpetic neuralgia
• Acne and other facial conditions
• Other conditions (including alopecia areata, lichen ruber planus, chronic relapsing herpes simplex)

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