Face mapping – your key to tackling your skincare woes!

Do you have spots, oiliness or redness making an appearance on the same part of your face, consistently? 

Where your spots are popping up on your face can provide you with some guidance on how to tackle your acne! “Face mapping” is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and proposes that congestion or breakouts on specific parts may be linked to weakness or congestion in an organ or gland linked to this part of the face! You may be already using face mapping when you notice a pimple on your chin just before your menstrual cycle begins - however, this technique takes the analysis one step further.

Use the below as a tool to dig deeper into the underlying causes of your skin concerns.

Chin – are your hormones in check

 If you find your breakouts are consistently appearing on your chin, hormone levels may be out of balance. If you are getting breakouts during ovulation, typically this means your level of androgens (testosterone) are elevated. Drops in oestrogen about a week before menstruation can also cause breakouts as can high levels of progesterone a few days before menstruation.

Take action: Hormones can be tricky to navigate! If you sense you have a more serious underlying hormonal condition see a medical practitioner ASAP. Supporting your liver to clear excess hormones, reducing inflammatory foods (e.g. dairy, foods high in saturated fat) and focusing on stress reduction can all help to get your hormonal acne in check. Ensure you are eating plenty of fruits and vegetables along with fibre-rich foods which will ensure any undesirable hormones are being swept away from the body on a daily basis. 

Consider taking a multi-vitamin with B vitamins along with magnesium to help to adequately detoxify and naturally balance your hormone levels. Eating foods high in phyto-oestrogens such as flaxseed, omega 3 rich nuts and edamame beans can also be helpful in naturally balancing oestrogen levels. 

Cheeks – consider the health of your lungs

If you’re experiencing redness and congestion on your cheeks, it could be a sign that your lungs are under excess load due to exposure to excess pollution, smoke/smoking or due to lung weakness such as asthma. Allergies may also be at play.

Take action: Become conscious of doing more exercise if you are not already, performing breathing exercises and ensuring your diet incorporates an abundance of organic herbs and vegetables. Two of my favourite lung supportive herbs include Mullein and Thyme, however, there are so many more available. Use a 100% cotton pillow and make sure you are cleaning your phone – it can hold a lot of bacteria!

Forehead – check your digestive system and sleep!

Breakouts and pimples that consistently pop up around your forehead indicate that your digestive system may be sluggish and/or having a hard time breaking down foods. 

Take action: Take the time to limit sugary and greasy foods which may be making your digestive system worse. Increase the amount of fibre in your diet, aiming for 25 grams through vegetables and whole grains. Consider adding a gut replenishing powder such as Gut Replenish into your diet to balance your ratio of bad/good bugs along with digestive enzymes and/or hydrochloric acid to assist you in breaking down your food and absorbing nutrients optimally. Increase your fluid intake and ensure your digestive system is having adequate rest in between meals so that it is not being constantly overloaded. Slippery Elm, Aloe Vera, Dandelion Root (all bitters) and Apple Cider are great herbal supports for a sluggish digestive system. Ensure you are getting plenty of sleep, especially before midnight as this is when the body most effectively repairs and heals itself. 

T-zone – take more care of your liver

If you are experiencing oiliness around your T-zone, your liver may be sluggish or fighting hard to keep up with any influx of toxins from external or internal sources. 

Take action: Take the time to give your liver some love by removing alcohol, processed foods, dairy and saturated fats from your diet. Make the effort to add more bitters to your diet (dandelion, kale, radicchio), along with lemon juice or apple cider which help to stimulate liver enzymes. Enjoy liver supportive herbs such as dandelion, burdock and turmeric which you will find in our Beauty Detox Shot.

Nose – look inwards to your heart

Redness or inflammation on your nose area can be pointing to heart weakness or poor circulation and/or high blood pressure.

Take action: Ensure you are exercising regularly, reducing salt in your diet and keeping your cholesterol levels in check. Foods rich in nitric oxide such as garlic, beetroot and leafy greens help to support heart blood flow. Hawthorn is one of my favourite heart-supportive herbs.