Urticaria appearing on my body is a warning sign from the body! Because urticaria is accompanied by itching and rises on the skin with redness, it can lower quality of life, so people want it to recover quickly. Applying ointment or taking medication may calm it down, but it often repeatedly rises again after only a short time, which makes it even more distressing.
Usually, swelling caused by vascular reactions in the dermis of the skin appears first, accompanied by itching. In severe cases, it may develop beyond simple itching into pain such as stinging.
Urticaria can be divided into many types depending on the triggering factor. Based on its features, it may be classified as cold urticaria, which occurs when exposed to cold stimuli; heat urticaria and cholinergic urticaria, which occur when exposed to hot stimuli; dermatographism; and other types. In many cases, urticaria appears for a few minutes and then disappears. If symptoms persist for several days to several weeks or longer, it may be classified as chronic urticaria. Because scratching can lead to secondary infection or other related problems, it is important to address it early. A simple way to distinguish the types is as follows.
– Acute urticaria: In many cases, it goes away after about 1 week. The most common causes of acute urticaria can be food, medication, and microorganisms.
– Chronic urticaria: It lasts for 6 weeks or longer, and in some cases it continues to occur for years. In 70% of patients with chronic urticaria, the cause of urticaria cannot be identified, and it is thought to be related to infection, metabolic and endocrine abnormalities, psychological factors, and other issues. For the remaining 30%, there are reports suggesting a relationship with autoimmune mechanisms.
– Cold/heat urticaria: When the skin comes into contact with cold substances such as cold air, cold water, or ice, or with high heat or relatively hot stimuli, the skin becomes red and swollen, with itching that can be difficult to tolerate and a stinging sensation. It occurs often in adults and gradually improves over 2–5 years, but recurrence is common.
– Cholinergic urticaria: When exposed to external stimulation or heat, or when body temperature rises due to sudden emotional stimulation, the skin becomes itchy and prickly, and red erythema appears. It is also characterized by wheals, like swelling after an insect bite, that do not last more than 24 hours. The swelling may have clearly defined red or white borders, and it has a very strong tendency to recur.
– Dermatographism: When physical stimulation is applied to the outside of the skin, symptoms such as itching, swelling, and redness can appear within a few minutes in the shape of the stimulated area, and they may disappear again without a trace within minutes.
Anyone may experience urticaria at least once in life due to changes in the surrounding environment or food. However, if the pattern of urticaria continues for about 4–6 weeks, it is necessary to check whether there are other issues inside the body. In particular, urticaria is classified in many ways depending on the symptoms, but commonly the skin becomes red and swollen, with itching or stinging. It is necessary to identify and improve the cause before urticaria spreads deeper and becomes larger.
At Kyunghee Ryu Korean Medicine Clinic, we assess the patient’s basic constitution as well as the internal functional problems currently involved. Constitutional improvement is intended to help prevent problems that appear, or may appear, from one’s underlying constitutional tendencies, and to address certain current lifestyle habits that may be problematic, so that improvement can be supported through treatment.
For recurrent urticaria, identifying the cause is important Skin conditions cannot be viewed as simply a skin problem. They are expressed as skin symptoms due to other problems occurring inside the body. When treating skin conditions, it is necessary to assess and establish a treatment plan from a broader perspective, rather than looking only at the skin.
Usually, for urticaria, dermatology clinics prescribe antihistamines or steroid ointments to be taken or applied. This is the most common general treatment method that may primarily help relieve symptoms. However, if exposure to steroid medications has not been extensive, recovery may not be greatly burdened. But if repeated exposure to steroid medications has already led to problems such as secondary infection, recovery can be much more difficult. In general, skin problems are considered to arise from a decline in immune function or insufficient lifestyle and dietary management. In addition, however, problems may also be found in the intestines. If stomach or large intestine function declines, problems can also occur in the process of absorbing nutrients, which may lower immunity and lead to skin conditions. Therefore, rather than only removing the current discomfort, a more fundamental treatment approach is needed.
In Korean medicine, urticaria corresponds to eun-jin (癮疹), a condition that subtly appears between the layers of the skin. It has been described as sometimes very itchy and sometimes lacking sensation, and as arising mainly from wind (風), heat (熱), and dampness (濕). The urticaria treatment at Kyunghee Ryu Korean Medicine Clinic is characterized by setting a fundamental Korean medicine treatment direction to help prevent recurrence without relying on steroid medications. We provide Korean medicine treatment through a variety of methods, including herbal medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, pharmacopuncture, bloodletting therapy, phototherapy, external herbal medicine applications, and lifestyle and dietary management, showing notable effects for difficult-to-treat skin conditions with unknown causes.
(1) Through immunity, the skin can overcome skin conditions on its own.
Infections or inflammation caused by the entry of harmful external substances can affect not only the affected area but also the body’s own recovery capacity, and this is related to the body’s overall immunity. In other words, when skin immunity declines, the skin’s self-healing ability to protect the body from harmful external substances decreases. In this situation, if immunity is reduced, symptoms last longer and recovery is slower. This also applies to cases in which eczema develops due to internal inflammation or waste products related to reduced immunity. In Korean medicine, immunity is closely connected not only to the power to protect the body from harmful external substances, but also to the balance of the functions of the five viscera and six bowels and the circulation of qi and blood. Our goal is to support immunity by strengthening the spleen and stomach, or by enhancing the body’s self-healing ability so it can overcome these skin symptoms.
(2) Chronic inflammation can be harmful to the skin.
Even when inflammatory markers on blood tests are normal, many people with various difficult-to-treat skin conditions have hidden inflammation inside the body. Skin inflammation cannot be viewed simply as a problem of the skin barrier. The health status reflected by skin inflammation can also be seen as a measure of overall health. At first, it can be viewed as a problem of the skin itself, but it may also be affected by blood circulation and lymphatic circulation, hormonal and metabolic status, digestion, and intestinal health such as the large intestine. Ultimately, the condition of the whole body must be assessed, and through this we aim to provide treatment that helps reduce inflammation.
(3) Waste products in the body can be harmful to the skin.
Except for those who have had surgery for a major illness, most waste products in the body are often generated from food. Waste products accumulate due to improper eating habits. If they are properly eliminated, they may not become a problem, but if elimination is not smooth, waste products can build up and cause skin inflammation. Therefore, managing this issue is essential in the treatment of skin conditions. Through detoxification, we aim to improve blood circulation and help eliminate accumulated waste products from the body.
Are you relying only on medication that helps urticaria for the moment? When visiting a dermatology or internal medicine clinic for urticaria, most people are prescribed antihistamines to reduce itching and steroids to relieve symptoms. Of course, these can help reduce immediate itching. However, because these medications are intended to reduce current symptoms rather than provide fundamental treatment, symptoms often recur when the medication is stopped. With repeated use, the same medication may become less effective, and tolerance may develop.
In particular, long-term exposure to steroid medications can weaken skin tissue and may be accompanied by secondary infections such as bacterial or viral infections, causing the affected area to expand, so caution is needed. The problem is that wounds can occur more easily, take longer than before to heal, and symptoms such as oozing may worsen over time. During this process, itching can become severe, leading to scratching and often further worsening.
Therefore, at Kyunghee Ryu Korean Medicine Clinic, even if the process takes a more gradual path, we focus on identifying and treating the fundamental cause of urticaria. Our goal is for the skin to develop its own self-healing ability so that treatment can take place and recurrence can be prevented. In addition to managing each person’s possible lifestyle and dietary causes, we work to raise skin immunity, reduce inflammation, and support the smooth elimination of accumulated waste products in the body for a more fundamental treatment approach.