POV: It’s 2015. You’re 16. You’re watching the newest ep of Vampire Diaries that you’ve been waiting for all week. Just as Elena is about to choose between the brooding and mysterious Damon or the sweet and loyal Stefan, an ad for KRAFT CHEESE SINGLES pops up. TV advertisers always know exactly where to place annoying interruptions just when something juicy is about to go down. Similar to how breakouts can pop up in the same and equally irritating places on the skin. Do you ever question why they’re always in the same places (read: the darn forehead or jawline)? Well! There's this ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicinal technique called Face (or Skin) Mapping, and it might be able to tell you why.
What is Face Mapping?
Before you pull out your grandpa’s terrestrial world globe from the attic, we’d like to inform you that face mapping is a little more discreet than that. As we mentioned earlier, face mapping was established by ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicinal practitioners. This system uses the pattern of breakouts on the face to determine your overall health from the inside.
This ancient form of zit investigating is used by some dermatologists to determine the root causes of the breakouts that occur consistently in the same areas on the face. Face mapping usually breaks down the face into these 6 categories:
The Forehead
If you tend to generate zits on the forehead area, it usually stems from stress, a poor diet, or lack of sleep (which then can also lead to stress). If this is the case for you, dermatologists usually recommend changes such as including more exercise, and minimizing packaged (non-whole) foods and unhealthy fats.
Another area to note is the hairline. If you experience breakouts in this locale, it could actually be that the products you’re using are made with heavy oils that can clog your pores. It also doesn’t help if you’re not washing your hairline enough while you’re washing your face. Be sure to work that cleanser riiiight into the hairline.
Between the Brows
It’s said that detoxification plays a role in this part of the face when it comes to breakouts. That can mean things like drinking and smoking… and again, a poor diet. Why won’t our skin just let us be FREE. We digress. It’s no surprise that these misgivings have some outward affect on our face. If this has been an issue for your skin, you might want to cut back on those * toxic * shenanigans to let your skin breathe a little better.
The Nose
Idk who died and made our nose Rudolph. Nose breakouts aren’t as common, but when they come out of the north pole, they’re not such a merry gift. Unfortunately, the pores on the nostrils tend to be much larger than the pores on the rest of the face. This makes it easier to trap in dirt and debris from the day, resulting in clogged pores, and then eventually some zits. The best way to combat nose pimples is to 1. Cleanse twice a day, and at night, make sure to double cleanse to ensure the dirt and debris is completely vanquished from your sniffer. 2. If you wear makeup, make sure it’s non-comedogenic so it won’t clog up your pores anymore than it needs to. 3. Make sure you’re exfoliating. Chemical exfoliants are a superb and gentle option to rid your skin of dirt and environmental stressors that you acquire during your daily escapades.
Cheeks
An obvious cheek-zit stimulator can be your dirty cellphone (who knows where your hands have been) or unwashed pillowcases. Both of these can retain high amounts of bacteria from a number of sources, so make sure to practice phone and pillowcase hygiene as much as possible… especially in the age of COVID.
In addition to these filthy animals, it is believed that when breakouts are occurring on the cheeks, it can once again be linked to poor detoxification and diet. We cannot call ourselves noobs any longer. We know that those 6 glasses of wine and Hot Cheetos probably aren’t promoting inner-health.
Around the Mouth
Ancient Chinese medicine directly correlates this placement of breakouts to your intestines and liver. These are irritated by consuming certain types of foods—specifically greasy, fried foods and sometimes even spicy food specimens. The key to banishing this form of zit coup is to line up your veggie and fruit troops. Make sure that you’re including healthy vitamins, minerals and fibers from your meals, and try to keep the splurge french fries and chips to a minimum.
Finally, the Chin
The pimples on your chinny chin chin can almost always be linked to a hormonal imbalance within the body. If this is something you’re experiencing time and time again, it’s worth picking yourself up off your wfh couch/bed/desk and going to get your hormone levels checked. There are also some natural remedies that work to balance out the hormones such as maca powder (you can just throw this in a smoothie or coffee), hormone supplements, eating enough protein and regular exercise + more.
Face mapping is a fun way to investigate the root causes of our breakouts. Another root cause of breakouts? Our period. Click here to read up on the monthly gift of periods, hormones + acne.
