I've been fascinated with Chinese medicine ever since I was a little girl. My Dad would give me some herbs and potions if I wasn't well. Then as I got older, I went to see a doctor who practiced Chinese medicine in Hong Kong and I remember her treating me with some weird and wonderful herbs that did the trick and changed my life when it came to treating my anxiety.
As I got more into skincare I learnt through various research about Traditional Chinese face mapping and it's something I still rely on today.
The first thing I do when I analyse the skin is look at where the inflammation and breakouts are and then start interrogating clients about their diet and lifestyle and what changes they have made recently. Face mapping nearly always is correct and makes total sense - especially when it comes to hormones.
Now, if you're breaking out everywhere and you've been cleaning out your loft which is incredibly dusty, the chances are that it's the loft cleaning that's done it. I totally understand some people might disagree with face mapping, but I would say if you continually break out in the same places, it's definitely something to look into.
Over the years I have used this method and coupled with my experience of speaking with clients, this is what I've found for different breakouts and what they can mean.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN AREAS I SEE BREAKOUTS IN?
Let's go into a bit more detail shall we...
FOREHEAD - This tends to be diet related. In my experience it's when you've been over indulging and maybe had one to many alcoholic drinks (especially breakouts between the brows). Possibly a few late nights and just not eating that well.
It can also be linked to a shift in hormones. If there is a surge in testosterone or progesterone for example this can make the sebum quite thick and sticky and it can clog pores especially around the t-zone area.
Breakouts in the hairline can also be linked to a change in shampoo or conditioner as it might be irritating the skin.
CHEEKS - In TCM this is mostly linked to the stomach. In my experience it can also be related to the lungs. Sometimes if clients have been to a shisha cafe for example at the weekend or working in a dusty environment it can cause breakouts here. Also, when hayfever season is upon us it can cause a few extra breakouts here too. Anything that can trigger inflammation in the lungs can cause breakouts here.
AROUND THE SIDES OF THE MOUTH AND UPPER LIP - From experience this tends to be more diet related. I find clients with food intolerances tend to breakout here quite a lot - especially if they are very persistent. I would highly recommend a food intolerance test to give you some insight what might be triggering those breakouts. You can purchase the testing kit here.
CHIN AND JAWLINE - This is nearly always hormonal. A lot of clients will have the same spots too each month pretty much in the same exact place. I find the centre of the chin and jaw is nearly always linked to hormone shifts and menstrual cycles.
I also have found that if the spot are quite big and sore on the jaw and just under the jawline, this can be linked to stress as well.
There are of course so many other reasons why you could be breaking out, but these are ones that I see the most. If you have persistent breakouts in the same place all the time, face mapping might be something to look into.
I hope you have found this useful.
Thank you so much for reading,
Emmaline x
Comments