Research on constitutions and physiology of skin‐development of traditional Chinese medicine for skin

Abstract

The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is considered medical treatment for constitutions (Shou). In women, who are healthy volunteers living in Tokyo, we investigated the relationship among the four types of skin condition and six types of constitution, which are based on the general idea of TCM. As a result, it is clear that skin types are composed of several constitutions. The constituent proportions of damp heat constitution and yin deficient constitution are high in the case of active skin (this type of skin tends to turn red and is easily partially inflamed). The constituent proportions of qi‐blood deficient constitution and yang deficient constitution are high in the case of inactive skin (this type of skin tends to be pale). The proportion of phlegm dampness constitution is high in the case of damp skin (this type of skin looks greasy and tends to break out in acne). The constituent proportions of qi‐blood deficient constitution and yin deficient constitution are high in the case of dry skin (this type of skin looks dry and rough). In other words, it is suggested that the features of the four types of skin are signified as the sum total of local symptoms composed of the constitutions. Furthermore, we trialled the external prescriptions of TCM, which changed the features of the four types of skin. It is proved that each of the external prescriptions of TCM can change the skin features according to the effective result of all of types of skin. Consequently, it is considered to be appropriate to classify skin type on the basis of TCM.