Atopic Dermatitis
Skin folds · Dryness and scratch marks · Recurring course
Differentiated from contact dermatitis and infectionsView condition guide →
Korean medicine treatment for chronic and recurrent skin diseases
Skin that calms down with ointment but flares up when you stop using it
We treat long-term and recurring skin conditions such as atopy, eczema, hives, and psoriasis. Along with redness, itching, oozing, and dryness, we determine the direction of Korean herbal medicine treatment by examining heat sensations, sleep, digestion, and fatigue during flare-ups.
We record not only the skin on days it looks clear, but also the location and surface of the skin on days it flares up again.
Before the diagnosis, let's look at the recurring patterns of your skin.
Take 2 minutes to organize the appearance and timeline of your skin condition
This is not a tool for diagnosis based on photos alone. By connecting your most uncomfortable lesions, triggers for worsening, and daily changes in itching, sleep, and body heat, we can narrow down the guidance for you.
101 · Primary observations202 · Recurrence patterns303 · Systemic changes occurring on the same day✓Summary
Next steps
View notes for selected symptoms
The names of the selected symptoms are not sent to the server or analysis tools. Only the stages and result branches are recorded for analysis.
Find based on your current situation
Questions differ for the day symptoms first appeared versus the day they recurred after treatment
Please choose the question closest to your current situation. You can check what to do now in the medical guide, and the differences between similar conditions in the condition guides and columns.
When symptoms first began
Which symptoms should be checked first?
First, check the timing of itching or rashes and any urgent accompanying symptoms.
What to check when itching at night prevents sleep →When the cause and condition are confusingHow should we distinguish between similar-looking symptoms?
Narrow down the possibilities by looking at the area, surface, duration, and contact situation.
How should we view diet and allergy tests when skin condition is poor? →When symptoms recur even after treatmentWhat has improved and what discomfort remains?
Without disregarding previous treatments, we examine the timeline of responses and recurrences.
What should be recorded when symptoms improve with ointment but then reappear? →When preparing for a medical evaluationWhat records would be helpful to bring?
Briefly and accurately organize photos, medications, tests, and the impact on your daily life.
Prepare for your evaluation with skin photos, symptoms, and medications used →When monitoring changes during treatmentWhich changes should be continuously monitored and which symptoms should be asked about immediately?
Do not change your treatment arbitrarily; instead, distinguish between changes to monitor for progress and symptoms that require immediate verification.
What should be checked when using steroid ointments or topical agents? →When skin terminology is unfamiliar
Search using everyday language, such as "it's oozing" or "it's swollen like a mosquito bite"
You can check the meanings of 57 terms, easily confused words, and related conditions.
When it calmed down after applying ointment
but spread to other areas again after a few days
Many patients visit us after using anti-itch medications or ointments based on a general explanation of 'inflammation,' without having had the chance to ask exactly what skin condition they have or why it keeps recurring. We determine the next course of treatment by examining how long the symptoms persist in the same area, the presence of dead skin (scaling), oozing, or pain, and where the symptoms have reappeared.
- Whether a single lesion disappears within a few hours or remains for several days
- Whether there is scaling with distinct borders, or if oozing and cracking are the primary symptoms
- Whether it appeared on areas that came into contact with new products, medications, metals, or friction
Differential Diagnosis Starting with Photos
Which shape resembles my skin condition?
Please look for visual clues in these actual clinical photos. Since the appearance can vary depending on skin tone, timing, and medications used, a diagnosis is not made based on photos alone.
Adult Atopy
Dry erythema · Fine scaling · Chronic recurrence
Checked alongside exposure to contact or frictionView condition guide →
Contact Dermatitis
Affected area · Redness and dryness · Before and after using new products
Differentiated from hand eczema and infectionsView condition guide →
Dyshidrotic Eczema
Palms and sides of fingers · Small, deep blisters · Itching
Differentiate from athlete's foot and contact dermatitisView condition guide →
Urticaria (Hives)
Swollen wheals · Migrating patterns · Short duration
Check if a single lesion lasts longer than 24 hoursView condition guide →
Plaque Psoriasis
Distinct borders · Thick scales · Plaque-like shape
Compare with chronic eczema and nail or joint symptomsView condition guide →
Rosacea
Central facial flushing · Burning sensation · No comedones
Differentiate from acne and seborrheic dermatitisView condition guide →
Seborrheic Dermatitis
Scalp and oil-prone areas · Redness and scales · Dandruff
Differentiate from scalp psoriasis and fungal infectionsView condition guide →
Folliculitis
Centered around hair follicles · similarly sized pustules · shaving/friction
Differentiate from acne and fungal folliculitisView condition guide →Photos are actual cases used to explain symptoms and are not diagnostic results. The original source, author, and license can be found on each condition page.
From symptoms to conditions
Select the current appearance before the name of the disease
Skin photos are a good starting point, but a condition cannot be determined by photos alone. After finding a similar appearance, please also check how long it has remained in the same spot, the location, itching/pain, and any changes after using medication.
Pediatric · Adult · Face/Neck
Atopy patterns by age and area
We examine nighttime itching and recurring locations by dividing atopic dermatitis according to age and lifestyle scenarios, such as skin folds in children or the face, neck, and hands in adults.Oozing · Dryness · Contact · Hands/Face
Eczema and dermatitis by contact and area
Rather than stopping at 'eczema,' we categorize by contact exposure, water-related work for hands, the face/eye area, coin-shaped lesions, and areas that have been scratched for a long time.Deep blisters · Peeling · Cracking
Stages of Dyshidrosis: Hands, Feet, and Recurrence
We categorize the stages from deep blisters appearing on the sides of fingers, palms, and soles, to the chronic recurrence stage where the skin dries, peels, and cracks.Wheals · Migration · Triggering stimuli
Urticaria and Irritant Wheals
We check whether the wheals fade within a few hours, whether they appear after stimuli such as heat, cold air, or friction, and whether they recur for 6 weeks or more.Scaly plaques · Scalp · Skin folds · Nails
Psoriasis and Scaly Lesions by Area
Plaque psoriasis and involvement of the scalp, skin folds, guttate type, palms/soles, and nails are categorized by distribution, surface characteristics, and joint symptoms.PsoriasisPlaque Psoriasis↗Scalp PsoriasisScalp psoriasis · Scaly plaques distinct from dandruff↗Guttate PsoriasisGuttate psoriasis · Small scaly papules on the torso↗Palmoplantar and Nail PsoriasisPalmoplantar psoriasis · Nail psoriasis↗Inverse Psoriasis (Skin Folds)Inverse psoriasis · smooth erythema in skin folds↗
Itching · scratch marks · worsening at night
Pruritus and chronic itching with few lesions
We distinguish between systemic or localized pruritus (itching), where the itching itself is the primary concern rather than distinct primary skin lesions, and itching during pregnancy, while simultaneously evaluating the underlying causes.Flushing · blood vessels · dandruff · hair follicles
Redness and inflammation of the face and scalp
We distinguish between temporary facial flushing and persistent rosacea-related redness, emotional flushing or roughness related to Demodex mites, and scaling or follicle-centered inflammation around the scalp and nose based on location and duration.Rough surface · Flat papules · Central depression
Warts, Molluscum Contagiosum, and Viral Papules
Small raised lesions, such as common warts, flat warts, and molluscum contagiosum, are distinguished by their surface, central shape, location, and pattern of spread.Scaling · Ring shape · Herald patch
Differential Diagnosis of Ring-shaped, Macular, and Scaly Rashes
Scaly rashes that spread across the torso, such as pityriasis rosea and tinea, are compared with nummular eczema and psoriasis.Further explanations from the consultation room
A deeper understanding of recurring skin conditions
We cover topics that are difficult to explain with brief guides, such as why symptoms recur after treatment, the relationship between sleep and itching, and medical evaluations when tests do not show a clear cause.
View Skin Column →01 · How to read treatment progress
Why do the same skin symptoms reappear even after they improved during treatment?
It is easy to worry, "Do I have to rely on medication forever?" when symptoms subside while using ointments or medicine but the same areas become red and itchy again after stopping. By analyzing the interval between recurrences, the shape of the lesions, nighttime itching, and contact irritants, we can reduce repetitions and identify the specific role that Korean medicine treatment will play.
02 · Itching and SleepWhy do itching and sleep issues persist even when the skin is less red?
Nighttime itching is not a matter of enduring it through willpower. As body temperature rises under bedding, the skin dries out, and senses become more acute in the quiet of the night, itching that was tolerable during the day can wake you up. We will explain how Korean medicine treatment addresses this discomfort, which often lasts longer than the visible skin changes.
03 · Symptoms Remaining After TestsWhen skin tests are normal but itching and burning persist, what does Korean medicine look for?
You may have been told that your allergy or blood tests are normal, yet your skin remains itchy and hot. There is no need to deny the test results, nor is there a reason to simply endure the discomfort. By looking again at the current state of the skin and the body's recovery within the confirmed scope, the specific points for treatment become clear.
04 · Korean Medicine PerspectiveWhy we ask about sleep, digestion, and body heat during skin consultations
Even with the same diagnosis, such as atopic dermatitis or chronic eczema, some patients experience severe oozing and heat, while others have dry skin and prolonged nighttime itching. Saying that we do not look at the skin alone does not mean we lump all symptoms together. It means we identify the bodily changes that actually move in tandem with skin recovery and reflect them in the herbal medicine and acupuncture treatments.
Baekrokdam Skin Herbal Medicine Treatment
Even for the same skin condition, the prominent symptoms differ
Prescriptions cannot be the same for someone whose condition spreads red and hot, someone who experiences prolonged dryness and cracking rather than oozing, or someone whose symptoms worsen whenever they are fatigued or their body heats up. We determine the priority of the herbal medicine prescription by examining the current visible changes in the skin and the corresponding state of the body.
What we check first
Pattern identification (Byeon-jeung) is not about assigning difficult Chinese character-based medical names. It is a process of confirming in easy-to-understand terms whether redness, heat, and oozing are prominent, or whether dryness, thickening, and slow recovery are central, and whether heat, sleep, digestion, and fatigue levels also change on days when the skin is severe.
Factors considered when determining herbal medicine treatment
We examine changes occurring simultaneously in the skin and the body
Prominent changes currently visible on the skin
We distinguish between times when redness, heat, oozing, and swelling are primary, and times when dead skin, thickening, and cracking remain, to determine which discomfort should be reduced first.
Sleep interrupted by itching
By separately reviewing nighttime itching, scratch marks, and the number of times you wake up, we set a direction to break the cycle where itching continuously hinders skin recovery.
Degree of redness and recovery speed after irritation
We adjust the prescription by checking if the skin reddens and swells easily even with minor irritation, or if inflammation lasts longer and wounds heal more slowly after fatigue.
Skin changes after heat, exercise, or sweating
We examine whether symptoms worsen after heat, exercise, or hot showers; whether only the face and upper body feel flushed while the hands and feet remain cold; and how itching changes after sweating.
Time taken to recover after friction
We also look at the speed at which the skin dries and cracks, the time it takes to heal after oozing, and whether the skin feels comfortable again after washing the face, doing water-related work, or friction.
Body conditions that change along with the skin
We check if skin symptoms change in tandem with lack of sleep, digestive discomfort, fatigue, stress, alcohol consumption, or the menstrual cycle, and reflect this in the herbal medicine prescription.
You may consider a consultation in these cases
- When symptoms subside while using ointment but reappear in the same area or elsewhere after you stop using it
- When itching, oozing, scaling, or cracking has recurred for months or years, and the interval between recurrences is shortening
- When skin deterioration coincides with fatigue, lack of sleep, digestive discomfort, heat, or sweating, and you desire treatment that considers the entire body
Things to check during the consultation
- Photos of the skin when it is in good and bad condition, the site where the lesion started, and the order in which it spread
- Which changes are currently more distressing: heat, oozing, and swelling, or dryness, scaling, and cracking
- The number of times you woke up due to itching, and changes in body heat, sweating, sensitivity to cold, sleep, digestion, and fatigue
If pus, pain, or redness spreads rapidly, or if you have a fever, lesions inside the eyes or mouth, shortness of breath, or sudden facial swelling, please visit a dermatology clinic or seek emergency care first. After confirming that such urgent situations are not present, Baekrokdam provides herbal medicine treatment for chronic and recurring skin diseases.
Request a consultation
Medical and content review
Looking beyond a single photo to see how long symptoms persist in the same area
Director Choi Yeon-seung first asks when the skin condition started, where it spread, and how much it improved with certain medications before worsening again. If the same skin changes recur, he reviews photos to see if they coincide with periods of poor sleep or contact factors.
“The more stubborn the skin disease, the more important it is not to simply group it as ‘just an allergy’ or ‘just inflammation.’ I re-categorize the skin disease through photos and time records, observe when it recurs, and then begin herbal medicine treatment.”
Chief Director Choi Yeon-seungProviding Korean medicine treatment since 2010
- Graduated from Kyung Hee University College of Korean Medicine
- Chief Director of Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic
Before your consultation
Frequently Asked Questions
Is every itchy rash an allergy?
No. The causes can vary, including eczema, hives, infections, or drug reactions. We must evaluate the shape of the lesion, its duration, and systemic symptoms together.
My skin only improves when I apply ointment and flares up again when I stop. Can I consider Korean herbal medicine treatment?
Many people visit Baekrokdam because of such recurrences. Rather than the name of the ointment used, we determine the direction of Korean herbal medicine treatment by observing which areas flare up and how quickly, whether heat and discharge or dryness and cracking are more prominent, and if itching, sleep, digestion, and fatigue are also affected.
Can the cause be found through food tests alone?
We do not confirm the cause of a skin disease based solely on extensive food restrictions or tests with weak evidence. We prioritize the timing of recurrences and standard evaluations.
If my skin fluctuates between improving and worsening, when should I seek a consultation?
It is helpful for assessing progress if you record photos taken under the same lighting, the location of new lesions, interference with sleep or itching, and the medications or products used. For sudden worsening, please seek dermatological medical evaluation first.
Records for your next visit