Skin Mapping - Revealing the Truth Behind your Breakouts.
Skin mapping, also known as face mapping, is a technique initially used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. It's believed that the face and skin correlate directly to our health. Skin is the body's largest organ and communicates with the internal organs, fundamentally determining what shows up or doesn't appear on our faces. Hormones, genetics, nutrition, and environmental factors affect our skin's health. The concept is that the face is a mirror of our health, and different areas of the face are connected to specific organs. Skin mapping assists in navigating you to look beyond the surface and treat the underlying cause of the skin condition. Acne is a common skin condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Unfortunately, it can range from a minor inconvenience to a source of great distress for those struggling with it. However, it doesn't have to be this way. Holistic healing offers those suffering from acne an entirely natural and effective way to ease their skin troubles.
If you consistently break out on your:
FOREHEAD
The forehead is a window to the liver and gallbladder. Breakouts here indicate your digestive system is having difficulty breaking down food. Excessive fat consumption and/or too much alcohol, toxins, stress, and irregular sleeping patterns may cause breakouts in this area. Balance your system by minimizing rich foods and alcoholic beverages and drinking plenty of fresh filtered water. Warm water with a lemon first thing in the morning will help wake up the digestive system and rehydrate the body. Milk thistle, dandelion, and burdock root are often used to help support liver and gallbladder health. Incorporating food enzymes, fermented foods, leafy greens, and good quality sleep can help improve the skin's condition and overall health.
BETWEEN THE EYEBROWS
The area between your eyebrows, also known as the "third eye," is said to be connected to your stomach and liver. Poor digestion and toxic buildup may lead to blemishes in this area. Try an elimination diet to rule out any allergies or intolerances and or consider a gentle cleanse. Reducing caffeine, alcohol, and sugar can also improve digestive health. Take a good quality probiotic and digestive enzyme and add fermented foods, leafy greens, and anti-inflammatory foods to your diet.
TEMPLES AND BROW LINE
The temples and brow lines correlate to the kidneys. Dehydration and/or overworked kidneys are to blame. Low back pain typically goes hand-in-hand with these symptoms.
Try drinking more filtered water and including superfoods such as kale, spinach, parsley, cabbage, berries, and algae in your daily nutrition.
UNDER THE EYES
The area under your eyes represents the condition of the stomach, kidneys, and liver.
If you're experiencing puffiness and/ or dark circles under your eyes, consider reducing or removing alcohol, caffeine, and sugar from your diet. Drink plenty of water and detoxifying tea, incorporate grapefruit, leafy greens, and milk thistle into your daily nutrition, and ensure you get quality sleep.
BRIDGE OF NOSE AND UPPER AREA OF CHEEKS
The bridge of the nose and the upper area of your cheeks is connected to the heart. Rashes like rosacea commonly appear in this area. Try replacing unhealthy saturated fats with healthy fats loaded with omega fatty acids to boost your HDL (good cholesterol) and reduce your LDL (bad cholesterol). Raw nuts, avocados, salmon, flax seeds, and chia seeds are all great options. Breathing exercises are excellent for cooling the skin, helping it retain its natural glow, improving the digestive process, and removing toxins from our system.
MIDDLE-REGION OF THE CHEEKS
The middle region of the cheeks is a window to the stomach and lungs. This area of the face is notorious for rosacea, breakouts, and hyperpigmentation. Common allergens like wheat, corn, and dairy could be the cause; try alkalizing your body by eating plenty of green vegetables and reducing acid-forming foods like alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. I highly recommend adding green juice, apples, carrots, spirulina, and chlorella to your everyday eating habits and making time to include breathing exercises.
LOWER CHEEKS AND NOSE
The lower cheeks and nose get bossed around by the liver and stomach. Wrinkles, breakouts, and skin rashes can usually be blamed on food intolerances and toxic buildup. Eating a clean diet and adding vegetable juice, green smoothies, and fermented foods will help reduce breakouts in these areas. Integrate proper nutrition into your daily regimen, as this will help to efficiently assist digestion.
MOUTH REGION
The mouth region is connected to the stomach. Consider food sensitivities and toxic buildup. Try a gentle detox and/or an elimination diet and add more green vegetables and fibre to your meals.
JAWLINE
The jawline is a window to the ovaries and/or colon, and breakouts here
can be triggered by hormonal stress, especially in women. A consistent menstrual cycle can help keep hormones and circulation healthy. While menstruating, women should include a lot of greens and hydrating foods. Try a balanced, low glycemic diet of lean protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. Keep stress levels under control and ensure that you are getting quality sleep.
LYMPH NODES
The lymph nodes can measure our stress levels and can often determine if the body is trying to fight off illness. Our glands swell when they fight off bacteria, a sign that our bodies are working to process the bad stuff. Practicing self-love, getting lots of good quality sleep, a balanced diet, Pilates, yoga, breathing exercises, and meditation can help reduce the emotional and physical stress that interferes with your body's natural healing process.
Using skin mapping as a guide, I healed my adult cystic acne alongside these tips.
Removing dairy from my daily nutrition. If you think the link between dairy and acne is a myth. Think again. Studies have shown that consuming all types of cow's milk (whole, low-fat, and skim) has been linked to acne. Cow's milk contains certain hormones called androgens that are inflammatory. Androgens can stimulate receptors in the body's cells, causing those cells to produce more sebum oil.
Drinking plenty of water, green juice and smoothies. Along with consuming a primarily plant-based nutrition plan. A plant-based lifestyle is linked to better digestion, lower blood sugar levels, more energy, less inflammation, and better sleep.
Switching to non-toxic skincare and makeup routine.
Keeping my hands away from my face. No picking or squeezing.
Skin mapping is a precise technique; it all comes down to balancing your baseline health, improving your immunity, determining food sensitivities, and discovering your best approach. No two people are the same, and every individual will require a different ritual for optimal health. Skin mapping can help uncover skin concerns while taking a holistic approach to restoring health and balance to the skin to treat acne.
Digestive issues such as leaky gut are implicated in many acne cases. It's worthwhile to seek individualized support when working on gut health, as so many variables could be the cause.
By understanding the root cause of your acne, you can change your lifestyle and diet to help clear up your skin naturally and holistically.
