Should I use Chinese medicine or supplements to treat acne?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and therapeutic supplements (complementary medicine) work very differently.

Herbs used in TCM mainly work on balancing Chi or Qi or energy dynamics in the body to help relieve symptoms (acne is a symptom of often complex underlying health concerns) and could be helpful in anti-inflammation, detoxing and improving organ functions.  

Therapeutic supplements provide the essential nutrients (the building blocks) that the body needs to carry out critical body chemistries.  Without these building blocks, even when chi is improved, your internal body functions still cannot function optimally to eliminate acne effectively, eg. Vitamin B5 helps slow down or control overactive sebum production by quickly metabolising skin oil before it builds up to clog pores, relieve stress through calming adrenal system, manage hormones etc by providing the nutrient necessary to allow many crucial body chemistries to occur to eliminate and prevent acne.

The two treatment options could possibly be used together - TCM could help enhance the efficacy of therapeutic supplements.*

If you are using TCM to treat acne but seeing limited results, consider using a potent supplement formulation specifically designed to address the root causes of acne and contains a higher dose of Vitamin B5. 

*Please always follow advice from your health professional.