During the long Japanese New Year holiday I went to a hot springs area in northern Japan. I stayed at an inn that had several different baths with varying temperatures and mineral content. I was only there for two and a half days but the results on my skin were absolutely amazing. Areas with P that I've had for years became soft, smooth and just the faintest pink. Some newer, less established P actually disappeared. We were taking 4 baths a day (before meals and before bed). One of the baths had a somewhat slimy quality to it that is supposed to be especially good for skin. I think it was called something like "eel spring". My PA was especially bad in my knees when we arrived but seemed to improve by the time we left, however as my knee pain comes and goes this was hardly conclusive. But the skin! I have never had such results even with the strongest steroids.
There are onsen here that specialize in helping people with skin and rheumatic problems. Usually a one to two week stay is recommended. I think I would like to give it a try sometime. It really is a relaxing and rejuvenating experience to stay at a hot springs inn. Not only are the baths pleasant but the food is often excellent and the scenery beautiful. One important note, bathing is communal, usually segregated and quite naked which is sometimes a concern for westerners. But if you aren't troubled by this, I highly recommend the experience.
On a side note, to get to the hot springs, we traveled through areas that were hard hit hard by the earthquake. After seeing so much of this area on televison after the quake it was quite a sobering experience to see some of the effects in person.
