Diaper Rash

How Chinese medicine differentiates diaper rash into the three patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Distinct from this site's own Eczema and Fungal Infection pages. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. Diaper rash is primarily managed with skin care and, when needed, conventional treatment; acupuncture in infants is at most a gentle, cautious adjunct, and severe or spreading rash needs a paediatric assessment.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for diaper rash — 4 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
SP-9	Regulates the Spleen. Resolves Dampness. Opens the Water passages. Benefits the Lower Burner.
REN-3	Resolves Dampness from the Lower Burner. Promotes the Bladder function of Qi transformation.
SP-10	Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
L.I.-11	Clears Heat and cools Blood. Removes obstructions and Heat from the channel.

The Three Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Damp-Heat in the Lower Burner View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Skin is bright red, moist, and may weep, burning or stinging sensation in the diaper area, rash concentrated in skin folds where moisture collects, foul-smelling diaper area or loose, sticky stools.

Tongue: Red body with a yellow greasy coating that is thickest at the root, sometimes slightly swollen. Pulse: Slippery and rapid.

Treatment principle: Clears trapped Damp-Heat from the Lower Burner, removes external moisture while preventing internal Dampness generation through dietary modification.

SP-9 ↓ REN-3 ⊥

Note: no moxa; no needling in infants — these points at most inform a caregiver's own acupressure or are used on an older child. Linked to this site's own Damp-Heat-in-the-Bladder slide, its established Lower-Burner Damp-Heat convention.

2. Toxic-Heat

Clinical manifestations: Bright red, severely swollen skin, pustules or blisters, intense pain, crying when touched, possible fever or restlessness.

Tongue: Red body with prickly thorns and a dry yellow coating. Pulse: Rapid and forceful.

Treatment principle: Clears Toxic-Heat that has overwhelmed local defenses, reduces swelling and resolves the aggressive inflammatory process.

Note: this level of severity (pustules, blisters, fever) needs a paediatric medical assessment rather than acupuncture. This site's decks have no standalone Toxic-Heat/Heat-in-the-Blood slide, a gap confirmed absent many times over this session — no pattern link is given here.

3. Blood Stagnation with Heat View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Dark purplish-red discoloration in the diaper area, fixed, stabbing discomfort, worsens at night, dry, rough, or scaly skin in the area, irritability and restlessness, especially at night.

Tongue: Reddish-purple body with stasis spots, thin dry yellow coat. Pulse: Choppy and rapid, may also be wiry.

Treatment principle: Invigorates Blood and resolves stasis while clearing residual Heat, restores local circulation to fade the purplish discoloration.

SP-10 ↓ L.I.-11 ↓

Note: no moxa; no needling in infants. Linked to this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide per this session's discoloration-marker rule.

Related conditions

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