Effect of Gan-Pi Regulatory Needling in Treating Chloasma

• Published in: Chinese journal of integrative medicine Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 66 - 70
• Main Author: 史红斐 徐兵 郭希超 裘霞雯 张王萍 丁芗洁
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Chinese Association of Traditional and Western Medicine 01.02.2010
• Subjects: Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture Therapy - adverse effects; Acupuncture Therapy - methods; Administration, Topical; Adult; Ascorbic Acid - administration & dosage; Biomarkers - blood; Clinical Experience; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - administration & dosage; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Female; Gonadal Steroid Hormones - blood; Humans; LPO; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Melanosis - blood; Melanosis - therapy; Needles - adverse effects; Skin Pigmentation - drug effects; Skin Pigmentation - physiology; Treatment Outcome; Vitamin E - administration & dosage; Western World; 性激素; 激素水平; 脂质过氧化物; 超氧化物歧化酶; 针刺治疗; 黄褐斑; 黑色素细胞; clinical study; Gan-Pi regulatory needling; chloasma
• ISSN: 1672-0415; 1993-0402
• DOI: 10.1007/s11655-010-0066-3

Objective： To study the effect of Gan （肝）-Pi （脾） regulatory needling （GPRN） in treating chloasma and its influences on female sex hormones, superoxide dismutase （SOD）, lipid peroxide （LPO） and melanocyte-stimulating hormone （MSH）. Methods： Ninety chloasma patients were equally randomized to three groups, the treatment group treated with GPRN, the control group treated with conventional Western medicine and the blank group untreated. Changes in the scores of skin lesion （area and color） and symptom, as well as blood levels of female sex hormones, MSH, SOD and LPO were Observed and compared after 3 months of treatment. Results： In the treatment group, the scores of skin lesion area and color were reduced from 2.76± 0.96 and 2.48 ± 0.78 before treatment to 1.42 ± 0.42 and 1.03± 0.41 after treatment, respectively, while in the control group they were from 2.78 ± 1.06 and 2.53 ± 0.88 to 1.58± 1.23 and 1.28 ± 0.96, respectively, all showing significant changes （P〈0.05）; the scores were insignificantly changed in the blank group （P〉0.05）. At the same time, the score of symptoms in the treatment group significantly improved after treatment （P〈0.05）, significantly different from that of the other two groups. Comparison of female sex hormones among groups showed no significant differences either before or after treatment. The level of LPO decreased and SOD increased in both the treatment group and the control group significantly （all P〈0.05）, but significant lowering of MSH was only seen in the treatment group （P〈0.05）. Conclusions： GPRN can effectively lessen the size and lighten the color of chloasma, improve the accompanying symptoms in patients and decrease LPO and MSH levels and increase the SOD level, but will not affect the level of the female sex hormones.