Fire Needle Therapy for Vitiligo Fire needle acupuncture at the Ah Shi point can treat vitiligo. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that vitiligo is mostly due to the patient’s underlying yin deficiency, liver qi stagnation, or the invasion of the six excesses, which obstructs the skin, leading to disharmony of qi and blood, and insufficient nourishment of the skin, resulting in the disease. The use of fire needle acupuncture at the Ah Shi point has shown good results in treating vitiligo.
Acupuncture Points：Ah Shi point (local skin lesions), Zu San Li (Stomach 36). Equipment: Use needles with specifications of 0.40 mm × 45 mm. Method: The patient should be in a quiet and comfortable position, and the skin should be disinfected. The operator holds an alcohol lamp (filled with 1/3 alcohol) in the left hand, ignites it, and brings it as close as possible to the treatment area. The right hand holds the needle with the thumb, index, and ring fingers, placing the needle body in the center of the flame, first heating the needle body, then the needle tip, until the needle turns white. The needle is then quickly and accurately inserted into the skin lesion using wrist strength, followed by a rapid withdrawal. The depth of the insertion at the Ah Shi point should not exceed the base of the lesion, with a spacing of 3-5 mm between needles, evenly distributed, and inserted from the outer edge of the lesion towards the center, covering about 80% of the lesion area, with even needle points and local skin redness as the standard. The Zu San Li point is located in the thick muscle of the lower limb, and the depth of insertion should be determined based on the patient’s condition, constitution, age, and the depth of local blood vessels, generally 2-4 cm, with 3 needles per point each time. After the procedure, apply pressure to the needle holes with dry cotton balls. Treatment is performed once every 7 days, with 4 treatments constituting one course, and a total of 3 courses of treatment. After fire needle therapy, the patient should keep the needle holes dry and avoid water on the treated area for 3 days. Fire Needle Therapy, also known as burning needle therapy, involves heating the needle until red and quickly inserting it into the corresponding part of the body to achieve warming the meridians, dispelling cold, tonifying yang qi, harmonizing qi and blood, unblocking the meridians, and promoting tissue regeneration. On one hand, fire needle therapy can warm and assist yang, stimulate the meridian qi, thus unblocking the meridians, promoting blood circulation, regulating the internal organs, supporting the body’s righteous qi, and expelling evil. On the other hand, fire needle therapy can also stimulate the local area, unblock the meridians, harmonize qi and blood, promote local qi and blood circulation, dilate capillaries, enhance blood circulation, strengthen nutrient supply, stimulate the activity of tyrosinase, and promote melanin production. Moreover, fire needle therapy specifically targets the lesion area, making the treatment more precise, thus effectively treating vitiligo. Our department has achieved good results in treating localized vitiligo, especially in patients with vitiligo at the tips of the hands and feet, where medication and phototherapy have shown limited efficacy, by implementing fire needle therapy and local packaging treatment. 
1 23Examples of Fire Needle TherapyImages provided by Professor Li Xiaosha from Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine 
