Integrative Skin Care: Dermatology and Traditional and Complementary Medicine

The document from 2017 reviews the use of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) and integrative medicine (IM) in dermatology, acknowledging the global prevalence of skin problems and the potential benefits of these holistic approaches. It outlines the challenges in conducting research on T&CM and IM due to their personalized nature and the difficulty in applying standardized research methods like randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Despite these challenges, there is evidence of T&CM's efficacy in treating inflammatory skin conditions, wound healing, and burns management, although the quality of research is often low. For example, a Cochrane review of 21 studies with 1,868 patients found Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) to be superior to placebo for atopic dermatitis, but the evidence was of very low quality. Other studies cited include a 2016 review on the role of diet in psoriasis management, a 2015 meta-analysis showing benefits of weight loss interventions for psoriasis, and RCTs demonstrating the effectiveness of T&CM treatments like Salvia miltiorrhiza, Cybele Scagel, and sunflower seed oil massage in specific skin conditions. The document calls for more rigorous research to establish the safety and efficacy of T&CM and to integrate beneficial practices into mainstream dermatological care.