How Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Help Clear Acne (Naturopath Explains TCM)

Melissa Birch Nutrition
Sep 1
5 min read

Did you know that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can help with acne?

Most of today’s acne treatments focus heavily on modern medicine: prescription topicals like benzoyl peroxide and tretinoin, antibiotics, or even Accutane. While these approaches can work for some, they often come with side effects or only provide temporary relief.

But there’s another way to view acne which is through the lens of ancient healing systems like TCM.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a holistic practice that’s been around for over 2,000 years. It focuses on restoring balance within the body by looking at the flow of Qi (your vital life force), the harmony of yin and yang energies, and the health of organ systems that influence everything from digestion to skin.

In this post, I’ll explain how TCM views acne, the different modalities it uses, and what this ancient approach can teach us about healing skin from within.

Watch the full YouTube video now.

What is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)?

TCM is an ancient health system that sees health as balance. The central idea is that Qi (life energy) flows through meridians in the body. When Qi is smooth and balanced, we feel well. When Qi is blocked, deficient, or excessive, imbalances show up in the body and sometimes as acne.

Unlike modern dermatology, which often focuses on the skin surface, TCM looks at the whole person: body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Treatment involves a variety of methods including:

Acupuncture – fine needles inserted into meridian points.
Moxibustion – burning mugwort herb to stimulate Qi.
Herbal medicine – personalised formulas to restore balance.
Nutrition – choosing foods based on their Qi and thermal nature.
Manual therapy – cupping, gua sha, and tui na massage.
Mind-body practices – qigong and meditation.

Together, these therapies support balance between yin (cooling, restful, material energy) and yang (warming, active, functional energy).

How Traditional Chinese Medicine Views Acne

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, acne isn’t “just a skin condition.” It’s seen as a reflection of internal imbalances. The most common culprits are:

Damp-Heat in the Stomach/Spleen – oily, inflamed, cystic acne, often aggravated by greasy or spicy foods.
Heat in the Lung/Stomach – red, pustular breakouts.
Blood Stasis – stubborn cysts, painful pimples, scarring, or purple marks.
Phlegm Stagnation – deep, nodular acne that doesn’t surface.
Liver Qi Stagnation & Heat – hormonal jawline acne, worsened by stress or PMS.

In other words, TCM doesn’t say, “acne = one cause.” Instead, it identifies patterns of imbalance that differ from person to person. This is why two people with acne might receive completely different TCM treatments.

TCM Face Mapping for Acne

You may have seen face mapping trending online, but in TCM, it’s more of a guiding principle than a strict diagnostic tool. The face reflects what’s happening internally:

Forehead: digestion and stress.
Temples: kidneys and bladder.
Between eyebrows: liver and detoxification.
Cheeks: lungs and stomach.
Jawline/chin: hormones and reproductive system.

For example, breakouts along the jawline often suggest hormonal imbalance or stress affecting the liver. Acne on the forehead may point to poor digestion or irregular sleep.

TCM Tongue Diagnosis

Alongside the face map, practitioners often examine the tongue. Each section of the tongue reflects an organ system:

Tip: heart and lungs.
Center: stomach and digestion.
Sides: liver and gallbladder.
Base: kidneys, bladder, and intestines.

Practitioners look at the tongue’s colour, coating, shape, and moisture to understand where imbalances lie. For example, a red tongue tip may point to excess heat, while a thick yellow coating in the centre may indicate damp-heat in the stomach which is often linked to acne.

Nutrition in TCM for Acne

In TCM, food is medicine. Each food has an energy: warming, cooling, damp-forming, drying, etc. Acne nutrition is tailored to the type of imbalance.

For inflamed red acne (heat): cooling foods like cucumber, mung bean soup, chrysanthemum tea, and leafy greens.
For oily cystic acne (damp-heat): damp-draining foods like barley tea, adzuki beans, radish, and winter melon.
For hormonal acne (liver heat/stagnation): liver-supporting foods like goji berries, walnuts, and black sesame seeds.
For scarring or stubborn acne (blood stasis): circulation-promoting foods like beets, spinach, and dark leafy greens.

At the same time, TCM advises limiting:

Greasy or fried foods
Spicy/hot foods like chili and garlic
Dairy, refined sugar, and alcohol
Processed foods that create “dampness”

Another key TCM principle is seasonal eating: more cooling foods in summer to clear heat, more warming soups in winter to protect digestion.

TCM Herbal Medicine for Acne

TCM practitioners often prescribe customised herbal formulas to address the root pattern:

Heat-clearing herbs: Honeysuckle (Jin Yin Hua), Forsythia (Lian Qiao).
Damp-draining herbs: Coix seed (Yi Yi Ren), Poria (Fu Ling).
Blood-invigorating herbs: Salvia (Dan Shen), Red Peony (Chi Shao).

These aren’t one-size-fits-all remedies and formulas are tailored to your unique constitution and acne pattern.

Circulation & Blood Flow Techniques

Stagnation (blocked Qi or blood) can worsen acne. To improve circulation, TCM uses techniques like:

Cupping therapy – glass cups placed on the skin to improve circulation and detoxification.
Gua sha massage – scraping tools to stimulate lymphatic flow.
Movement practices – gentle exercise or qigong to keep Qi moving.

Even breaking a sweat with light exercise can help reduce stagnation and inflammation.

Acupuncture & Cosmetic Acupuncture

Acupuncture supports acne on multiple levels. By placing needles along meridians, practitioners can:

Reduce systemic inflammation.
Support gut and hormonal health.
Improve blood flow and Qi circulation.

Cosmetic acupuncture goes one step further by inserting fine needles directly in facial areas. This stimulates collagen, reduces scarring, and improves skin tone, while also addressing the root imbalance. A typical session may include acupuncture points on the body, facial needles, LED therapy, and gua sha or cupping to finish.

Acne isn’t just about your skin, it’s about what’s happening inside your body. Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a different lens, showing how imbalances in heat, dampness, circulation, or hormones can appear as breakouts.

By combining nutrition, herbs, acupuncture, and lifestyle changes, TCM helps restore balance from the inside out. The result? Skin that not only looks clearer but reflects deeper harmony in the body.

If you’re struggling with acne, I encourage you to see it not as something to fight against, but as your body’s way of asking for balance. When you support your body, your skin follows.