Subcutaneous acupuncture improves acyclovir-ineffective cephalofacial herpes zoster: A case report.

Rationale: Herpes zoster is a common skin disease that manifests as clustered herpes, postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), and other herpes zoster-related complications, as well as eye diseases and various visceral diseases. Pharmaceutical therapy may cause adverse responses and has limited efficacy. Therefore, exploring alternative and effective therapies is important for clinical physicians.

Patient concerns: The patient was a 62-year-old female. She suffered from clustered herpes in her left forehead and head, which caused severe pain. The patient had received pharmaceutical therapy but did not respond to it.

Diagnoses: Cephalofacial herpes zoster.

Interventions: The patient underwent a 1-week course (4 sessions) of subcutaneous acupuncture. The treatment involved fire acupuncture (swift pricking) and common acupuncture (transverse insertion), both of which were performed on the superficial skin layer.

Outcomes: After the 4 treatment sessions, the patient's herpes disappeared quickly, and the pain was relieved. After the 12-month follow-up, the patient had no PHN.

Lessons: Subcutaneous acupuncture improved the skin lesions condition of herpes zoster rapidly, and relieved the neuralgia effectively. It may prevent the PHN. For patients who are nonresponsive to antiviral medications, especially the elderly population at a high risk of developing PHN, subcutaneous acupuncture (fire acupuncture + common acupuncture) can be considered.