Fire Needle Therapy for Plaque Psoriasis: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease, of which plaque psoriasis is the most common subtype. Fire needle therapy, as a traditional external treatment modality of Chinese medicine, has received widespread attention in the treatment of psoriasis in recent years. This article provides a narrative review of the clinical efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of fire needle therapy in the treatment of plaque psoriasis. Existing evidence shows that fire needle therapy alone or combined with Chinese herbal medicine can significantly improve patients’ Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores, increase overall response rates, improve quality of life, and demonstrate potential mechanisms in regulating the balance of T cell subsets and inhibiting inflammatory signaling pathways such as TLR4/NF-κB and STAT3. Fire needle therapy has a favorable safety profile, with most adverse reactions being mild and transient. This article also analyzes the limitations of existing research and offers perspectives for future directions.