Is the acne you have caused by stress, late nights, a bad diet, or hormones? Through understanding some basic face-mapping, you can know what your acne is telling you, and take the right course of action.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the face is believed to be the window to the soul, and Chinese medical physicians look at the faces of their patients to assess which organs may be under stress or where there are blockages.
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Face-mapping not only sheds light on the health of the physical body, but it can also give a hint about the mental, and emotional stress you are under — and how it affects you.
What acne appearing in different areas means
Upper forehead
The upper forehead area is linked to the digestive system, principally your large intestines and bladder. When acne appears here, take note of your diet, and try to improve your digestion through eating probiotics — limit your sugar intake, and avoid fast foods in general.
Cleansing foods such as green tea, lemon water, and fresh berries will help as they are rich in antioxidants.
Lower forehead
This region shows the health of your mind and spirit. Skin eruptions here are indicative of stress, nervous disorders, and an imbalance in the mental or emotional realms.
To rebalance your mind, make quality sleep a priority for a while. You can also try meditation, long nature walks, and soothing warm baths.
Nose
Being in the middle of your face, your nose represents your heart. This area could indicate blood pressure, stress, pent-up anger, and frustration.
Again, take time to de-stress, and focus on what your heart needs — it may be beneficial to look a little deeper and ask yourself some important questions, as well as take steps in your everyday life to manage stress.
Eyebrows
Those annoying zits that appear right in the middle of your eyebrows are your liver screaming for some love.
To cleanse the liver, drink dandelion tea, eat plenty of vegetables, and swap your white bread and fast food for whole grains and tubers. Avoid alcohol and tobacco.
Ears
Those big, blind pimples on your ears can be so painful! They are a sign your kidneys are strained, as your kidney-shaped ears mimic the organ they represent — amazing isn’t it?
Increase your water intake, and lower your caffeine and sodium intake.
Cheeks
Your cheeks are connected to your lungs and are a sign that your respiratory system is struggling. Could it be allergies?
Avoid smoking and smoking areas. Drink ginger tea as it warms the lungs and helps expel any gunk that is sitting there.
Mouth and lower chin
The mouth, being the gateway to the stomach, is coincidently linked to the stomach in face-mapping.
Maybe your diet needs more fiber. Have you noticed any constipation? Psyllium husk is like a broom that sweeps your stomach clean — it is very cleansing.
Sides of the chin
This area represents the reproductive system; you may get pimples here when there is an imbalance of hormones or during a hormone surge, such as during menses.
Stress will exacerbate zits in this region, so if you get breakouts here, give yourself the space and rest you need — and take note if the acne is cyclical or constant.
Different types of acne
Your face, like the souls of your feet, contains a map of your whole body. You may have already noticed that zits in different areas pop up at different times, such as the “too much chocolate” acne versus the “I’m so stressed!” ones, to the “stay away from me, I’m hormonal!” varieties. As you learn which is which, you will know what course of action to take.
If acne persists in a certain area or in general, consult a doctor, qualified naturopath, or Chinese doctor. A few zits are no big deal, but chronic acne is an infection that needs professional medical attention.
