Face Mapping for better Facial Skincare

08/20/2009

A high quality facial mask or serum will work wonders for your skin, but these products are the icing on the cake.

Next time you look in the mirror, think about this: What shows up on your face is connected directly or indirectly to the state of your internal organs and systems. One of the skin’s “jobs” is to communicate inner imbalances before they become major health issues or cause disease.

Face mapping is a great tool to determine where the skin symptom (pimple, rash, redness, hyperpigmentation, sallowness, darkness, or wrinkle) connects deeper in the body. Dermalogica, a popular retail skincare company, has made face mapping more mainstream, but this method wasn’t created to sell skincare products. Actually, face mapping has been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.

Here’s an easy-to-follow face map I use in the skin care studio to help point you n the right direction and give you a little more clarity to what’s out of balance and causing your skin to “act up.”
*These tips and suggestions are not meant to replace a doctor’s advice. For best results, seek advice from a reputable Naturapathic Doctor and / or Licensed Dietitian or Nutritionist. Also read this post on Acupuncture For Skin Health and look into this wonderful non-invasive therapy!

forehead – gallbladder and liver: possibly too much fat in the diet – or too many “happy hours.”
Bien-etre Tip: Lay off the fatty or “fast food” and alcohol for a bit, opting instead for a lighter fare, detoxifying herbal tea, lots of fresh clean water, milk thistle, and burdock root

third eye – stomach and liver: usually related to digestive health and too much toxic buildup in the system. When these two organs get overloaded, the health of your skin deteriorates.
Bien-etre Tip: Look into digestive aids in the form of a gentle cleanse (like eating a raw food diet for a week, or cutting out meat, dairy, caffeine, processed food and sugar from your diet for a little while.)

brow line / temples – kidneys: Check also to see if you are experiencing any low lack pain as this could be a sign of kidney strain.
Bien-etre Tip: Drink more water and include more superfoods in your diet, like algae, spinach, kale, nuts, berries, etc!

under eye area – stomach, kidneys and liver: Usually the main concerns in this area are fine lines, puffiness and dark circles. A quick fix is a little caffeine, Vitamin A and Vitamin C in your morning eye cream, but that wont fix the internal issue.
Bien-etre Tip: Take a look at your diet and see where you can “clean it up a bit” also look into detoxifying teas with licorice root.

bridge of nose / upper cheeks – heart: This area is a common stomping ground for rosacea.
Bien-etre Tip: Look into diet and lifestyle changes that aid in circulatory health and look into ways to lower cholesterol, like replacing “bad fats” with “good fats” like Omegas 3 and 6 found in nuts, avocados, fish and flax seed.

mid cheeks – lungs and stomach: Another common are for rosacea flare-ups, but also a common area for hyperpigmentation and breakouts.
Bien-etre Tip: Look into possible food allergies like dairy and wheat gluten, and keep the body more alkaline by avoiding foods that make the body acidic (meat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, etc) and adding more alkalizing foods like green veggies and wheatgrass juice!

lower cheeks – nasolabial folds – stomach and liver: Lines, redness and breakouts in this area can usually be attributed to food sensitivity or toxic build-up.
Bien-etre Tip: see tips for mid cheeks and mouth!

around or on the mouth – stomach: as with the other areas of the face connected to the stomach, you will want to look into any possible food sensitivities or allergies (they are sometimes the foods you crave the most!)
Bien-etre Tip: also look into a gentle detox and adding more greens and fiver into your diet.

jawline – ovaries or colon: Usually hormonal stress or changes cause breakouts in this area for women. Many theorists believe that having a monthly period (although not always convenient or fun) keeps the female circulatory system healthy and helps women to live longer.
Bien-etre Tip: Bulking up on greens and staying hydrated during the premenstrual cycle will help minimize any hormonal breakouts. If you are breaking out in this area all month long, you may want to look into dietary changes or supplements that aid in healthy elimination.

lymph nodes – usually linked to stress or a sign that the body is trying to fight off sickness (bacterial invasion). The lymph nodes are in charge of regulating fluid and eliminating excess waste proteins and toxins from that fluid.
Bien-etre Tip: give yourself a break, take a yoga class or two, take a nap, take time to breathe deeply and know that everything always works out.