There’s something intuitively healthy about clear skin. A fresh, glowing visage doesn’t just look radiantly youthful…It speaks of deeply vibrant health that is beaming to the outside world!
If our minds connect clear complexions with well-being, it stands to reason that skin issues may point towards health issues. In fact, according to Face Mapping, what’s happening on the surface of your skin can give us very real insight into what’s going on inside our bodies.
Face Mapping is based on the ancient philosophies of Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda and links changes in our skin with our internal environment. This helps us to diagnose the root cause of our skin issues and red flag any other health issues that may need a bit more love and attention.
Read on to discover exactly what your skin may be trying to tell you about your health!
Zone: Forehead
Associated With: Liver, gallbladder
Explanation: The forehead is connected with nervous system activity and digestion. Therefore, stress and a sluggish digestive system may be triggering your breakouts here.
What To Do: Avoid, sugary, fatty, processed foods and consume plenty of high fiber fruit and vegetables to keep your digestive system moving. De-stress with visualization, meditation, yoga or anything else that helps you to relax. You may also like to trial some dandelion tea or fresh lemon juice in warm water to naturally detoxify your liver.
Zone: The Right Side of The Space Between Your Eyebrows
Associated With: Stored emotions in your liver.
Explanation: Our facial expressions immediately clue us into how we’re feeling. However, facial line mapping has been used for centuries to help us discern where we are holding deeper stress, and how this is likely to impact our internal health. Skin issues and wrinkling in this zone may indicate unexpressed anger that you’re holding onto in your liver.
What To Do: Clear the anger! Try yoga, counselling, reiki, journaling or whatever therapy you need to let go of your negative built-up emotions in a healthy way. Reduce your intake or alcohol and high-fat foods, which place pressure on your liver function.
Zone: The Left Side of The Space Between Your Eyebrows
Associated With: Stored emotions in your spleen.
Explanation: Lines here may indicate unexpressed emotions that have been stored in your spleen instead.
What To Do: Explore techniques to release old, stagnant emotional energy. Reiki, yoga, counselling, journaling, breath work and guided meditation are all useful options.
Zone: Eyes
Associated With: Joints, thyroid and intestines.
Explanation: Eyes are touted as the windows to your soul, but they can also be a window to your health as well! An excess of white coloring in the iris may reflect degeneration of the joints whereas smaller-sized irises are connected with more general joint issues. ‘Spotty’ discoloration in the iris may suggest intestinal malabsorption. And if you notice a lightly-colored ring encircling the iris, you may be overdoing salt and sugar
What To Do: Give your joints some serious love with anti-inflammatory foods, such as oily fish, walnuts, lin seeds/flax seeds, organic bone broth (if you eat meat), turmeric and ginger. Cut back on caffeine, sugar, refined salt and processed foods, which tend to promote inflammation.
Zone: Underneath The Eyes
Associated With: Kidneys
Explanation: Swelling and puffy lower eyelids are especially suggestive of sluggish kidney function. Dark, puffy ‘bags’ can also indicate impaired kidney function.
What To Do: Drink plenty of filtered water, as dehydration places strain on the kidneys and prevents them from performing their essential eliminating functions. Look after your kidney adrenals with adequate sleep and minimal stress. Also, avoid coffee and alcohol, which are dehydrating.
Zone: Cheeks
Associated With: Lungs, malabsorption, sluggish metabolism
Explanation: Discolored patches on your cheeks may suggest slower metabolic rate and lower absorption of nutrients. The cheeks have also been traditionally associated with lung function.
What To Do: Trial breath work and breathing exercises to oxygenate your lungs and build lung capacity. Gently increase your cardio exercise to also enhance lung function and provide a metabolic boost. Ensure you chew your food well to remove strain away from digestion and absorption. Drinking green tea and having an antioxidant-rich diet can also help to protect the sensitive skin upon your cheeks against damage from common air pollutants.
Zone: Nose
Associated With: Cardiovascular system
Explanation: Your nose is believed to be linked with circulation, so skin issues in this zone may suggest blood pressure problems.
What To Do: Increase your intake of heart-healthy foods, such as avocado, nuts, tahini, cold-pressed olive oil and oily fish (or lin seed/flax seeds if you’re vegetarian). Limit your consumption of alcohol and coffee, which can artificially stimulate your cardiovascular system.
Zone: Lower Lip
Associated With: Digestive system
Explanation: In particular, the lower lip can reflect intestinal function. Brown spots may represent issues with indigestion or insufficient digestive enzymes. It may also suggest the presence of worms or parasite overgrowth in the intestines. Pale colored lips can indicate the early stages of anemia.
What To Do: Trial a good quality probiotic or natural worming treatment. Ensure you are including plenty of iron-rich foods in your diet, such as legumes, green leafy vegetables and lean red meat (if you aren’t vegetarian, of course).
Zone: Tongue
Associated With: Lungs, toxin overload
Explanation: Your tongue is a wonderful guide to your internal health! The best clues are available if you check out the surface after waking in the morning. Circles of white buildup towards the middle or back area may point towards intestinal toxins. Abrasion or ‘frothiness’ at the outside edges of the tongue may be linked with suboptimal lung function.
What To Do: Do a detox to flush out those unwanted toxins! Try a 3-day Detox, incorporate more detoxifying foods like this juice, add some Superfood Greens, and try scraping your tongue with this tool! For extra lung support, try some cardio-based exercise and deep-breathing meditation.
Zone: Chin
Associated With: Hormones, stress
Explanation: Ladies, have you ever noticed that you tend to break out with blemishes around your chin at that time of the month? That’s because this is the facial zone where hormonal imbalance and stressful emotions manifest.
What To Do: Trial maca powder for hormone support and avoid unnatural beauty products or cleaning aids, which tend to contain toxins that interfere with the endocrine system. Also, give your skin care regime a little extra love and attention before your period is due. And take measures to reduce your stress and treat your beautiful body to plenty of rest and sleep!
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