Acupuncture Treatment for Acne

By Melvin Ng

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There are many different types of acne treatments available, and one that tends to go unnoticed is acupuncture treatment. Results can be varying when undergoing acupuncture treatment though.

Many studies have been done on the subject, and the basic results seem to show that when acupuncture treatment is used, the best results are obtained when it is combined with another type of acne treatment.

For instance, many studies have shown their highest success of acupuncture treatment for acne to be in those patients who also made lifestyle and diet changes, as well.

There are many different reasons a doctor may recommend acupuncture treatment. Some patients can't, or don't want to, take medications. Some patients do not like the idea of undergoing surgery or laser treatment.

In many of these cases, the doctor will look to acupuncture as an alternative. When they recommend this, they may have to send the patient to another doctor, or they may be licensed to perform this treatment themselves.

If acupuncture treatment is performed, it will involve electro acupuncture or auricular acupuncture. Auricular acupuncture is acupuncture applied to the ear.

The only problem with evaluating whether acupuncture treatment is generally a successful or not, is that there are far too few structured studies to average results from.

From the few studies done, acupuncture treatment has been shown to have positive results in reducing the symptoms of acne.

While it may not be guaranteed to work, the benefit of trying acupuncture, as opposed to topical creams, ingestible medicines, or surgery, is that rarely will there be any negative side effects.

The two minor drawbacks to acupuncture treatment for acne are that it can be costly (with no guarantee) and that some people fear the pain or general usage of needles.