Evaluating the Causes of Freckle and Nevus from the Viewpoint of Iranian Traditional Medicine

BACKGROUND: Freckles are due to an increase in the amount of dark pigments called melanin. These spots are more likely developed on the sun-exposed skin areas like the cheeks, nose, and forehead. Nevus is usually a benign melanocytic tumor and can be congenital or acquired. Due to the high influence of skin lesions on the person’s appearance and quality of life, the aim of this study was to evaluate the causes of these lesions from the viewpoint of Iranian traditional medicine (ITM). METHODS: This study is a review base on Iranian traditional medicine manuscripts, including Canon of medicine, Tib-e-Akbari‚ Kamel-al-sanaat, Sharaholasbab and Exir-e-Aazam. After the review, subjects were analyzed and classified and all the relevant measures were deduced. RESULTS: According to humoral theory in ITM, abnormal black bile congestion in skin layers and its increased concentration causes dark color spots on the face, known as “Namash and Barash” being equivalent to freckle. Nevus formation is caused by congestion of gradually hardened and dense black bile humor in the skin after leaking through the vessels. The main cause of these problems is dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, spleen, and uterus. Human’s intellectual body function called “nature” and is by default designed to eradicate this residue from the essential internal organs and the skin. CONCLUSION: Based on ITM theory, since “nature” prefers excreting residue from the main organs through the skin, the necessary step for the treatment of the skin lesion is to purge and treat the internal organs before topical treatments. In addition to this, skin tonics should be used to enhance skin reinforcement in order to prevent the recurrence of the above-mentioned condition after peeling.