How to Do Proper Facial Gua Sha at Home
Improve your complexion with herbal facial oils and at-home facial gua sha.
Skin Benefits of Clay & Herb Facial Masks
Facial masks can be a great addition to your weekly facial care routine. CMD Skin Solutions facial masks are blends of cosmetic clays and various herbs. Our masks are in powdered form, so there is no need for preservatives or other unnecessary ingredients – just 100% natural clays and herbs.
New Solutions For Your Itchy Hands
If pompholyx eczema is a problem for you, we have an all-natural solution for your itchy hands. Chinese Medicine Dermatology is powerful medicine that can achieve long-lasting results to resolve your itchy skin problems.
Rebranding and Our New Pet Line
Zi Zai Dermatology is rebranding as CMD Skin Solutions! We have new products for humans coming soon, and we recently launched our line of herbal dermatology products for pets.
What Having Shingles Felt Like and How I Treated It
I am currently recovering from an outbreak of shingles. As you learned in my previous post, shingles is the common name for the condition that results from a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus. Ten days ago, the virus that had been lying dormant in my left 5th cranial nerve since I contracted chicken pox at age 8, became active again. Have I really been that stressed? I didn’t think so, but apparently my immune system was taxed enough to let its guard down against the herpes zoster army that subsequently attacked my ophthalmic nerve.
Shingles Part II: TCM Differentiation and Treatment
[Caution for my readers: The information in this post is intended for healthcare practitioners. Do not attempt to administer any of the suggested medicinals or supplements to yourself at the doses suggested here. Not all of the substances mentioned here are safe for every patient and they should only be prescribed by licensed practitioners.]
Shingles Part I: Understanding the Viral Phases
Herpes Zoster (a.k.a. Shingles) is an acute skin infection associated with the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (the virus that causes chickenpox). During chicken pox infection, the virus enters the cutaneous nerves and then travels to the dorsal root ganglia where it lies dormant until something triggers it to become active again. Stress, illness, emotional upset, T-cell immuno-suppressant drugs, fatigue and radiation therapy (any circumstances that compromise a patient’s immunity) can trigger the latent virus to travel back down the sensory nerve to infect the surface of the skin (along a single dermatome).
There are 3 distinct clinical phases of shingles: prodromal, active, and chronic.
That Rash Around Your Mouth Might Be Perioral Dermatitis
Our most widely-read post on this blog is about a rash I had around my mouth and how I discovered what triggered it and how I finally healed it. That particular rash was the result of an allergic reaction to propolis. But not all rashes near the mouth or on the face are caused by allergic contact dermatitis. Sometimes they are the result of a condition called perioral dermatitis. Differentiation of mouth/face rashes is important because the treatments for allergic contact dermatitis, acne, rosacea, or eczema can make perioral dermatitis worse.
Status Cosmeticus: Are Your Efforts To Improve Your Complexion Making It Worse?
It’s good to have a nourishing skin care routine. But it is possible to do more harm than good when caring for the delicate skin of the face if you end up using too many skin care products or products that contain particular known irritants.
Herbal Treatment For Skin Diseases: How Soon Will I See Results?
I have been treating patients in my private TCM practice since 1999. I have seen thousands of patients. I know most people want fast results from their treatments, regardless of what ails them. As the practitioner, I, too, want to get my patients feeling better as soon as humanly possible. As soon as HUMANLY possible. Therein lies the rub.
Am I Allergic to Beeswax?
Beeswax allergy? Actually it is an allergic reaction to the propolis, or “bee glue”, that gets mixed with the wax. It has taken me over a year to solve the mystery of the exasperating recurring rash around my mouth and now that I have figured it out, I am sharing my findings so you can recognize the symptoms and heal your skin if you also suffer from an allergic lip rash that you previously have been unable to diagnose.
Why Am I Suddenly Allergic to Products I Never Reacted to Before?
The inflammatory response that leads to these kinds of skin rashes is a complex series of events within your immune system that develops over time.
Common Causes of Recurrent Lip Rashes (Cheilitis)
Recurrent lip rashes and rashes around the mouth can be caused by various factors such as dermatological diseases, infections, allergic reactions, chemical irritants, and physical irritants. Let’s explore the most common causes of lip rashes so you can help your lips heal.
What Having Full Body Hives Felt Like and How I Treated It
For those of you who know me or have read my story on why I started this company, you know I really f****ing hate to itch…it drives me mad…temporarily insane, really. I have very sensitive skin and I have a history of developing urticaria (hives) very easily when my leg or ankle brushes up against grasses or plants I am allergic to. One time many years ago, I was hiking on a cliff-side trail along the Oregon coast with my bestie, and we were kicking up a lot of pollen from the bushes that had overgrown the sides of the trail. The puffy clouds of yellow dust that exploded from these pollen-laden seaside shrubs were nearly disastrous for me – I developed full-body hives…EVEN ON THE WHITES OF MY EYEBALLS. When breathing became laborious, I started to get scared. But even in the event of this severe reaction, my lifelong friend Benadryl saved me. Within 30 minutes the reaction halted and within a few hours I was normal again.
Atopic Eczema – When Can I Stop Herbal Treatment?
Someone who has suffered atopic eczema since childhood recently contacted me with a great question. Surely many of you have wondered the same thing, so I am sharing my answer here.
Chinese Medicine Dermatology: I Will Never Stop Learning For You
If you have followed me on social media at all through recent years, you already know my dedication to my patients and to Chinese Medicine Dermatology. I strive to be the best practitioner of Chinese Medicine I can possibly be. I want to offer the best diagnostic and treatment skills to my patients. When I formulate topical products, I want to craft the best natural skin care products for my customers/patients/other practitioners. As an educator, I want to level-up the way Chinese Medicine is practiced and perceived in the United States. I will never stop learning for you.