What Your Face May Reveal About Your Health

By Donna Gates, as seen on:

Who doesn’t love a good massage?

A massage—even a quick one—can quickly relax the mind and revitalize energy levels.

There is good reason for this. According to Chinese medicine, you are full of small microcosms—or little, miniature mirrors—that reflect the health of the internal organs and glands within the human body.

In fact, once you understand the pattern of the microcosm, you can even access information about an organ system. The most common microcosms in Chinese medicine are found in foot, the hand, and the ear.

The face is another important microcosm that can reveal what is going on beneath the surface of the skin. When evaluating patients, an acupuncturist will always notice the face first.

For example, acne on the forehead can tell you that something is going on in the large intestine. With acne, constipation may soon follow. Or stinky breath. Or even an infection in the colon.

Besides the forehead, the state of the digestive system is also reflected in the lips and around the mouth.

The chin reflects the balance of reproductive hormones and your reproductive organs.

The tip of the nose is the heart.

Between the eyebrows, you can find some clues about the liver. In Chinese medicine, anger is the emotion stored in the Liver. Wrinkles between the eyebrows are a sign of too much anger.

Overall complex matters, too.

A red and ruddy complexion is a sign of excess heat in the body and toxic buildup. It may also mean chronic, low-grade inflammation. This is a sign that you are ready to cleanse the body of waste. Before beginning any cleanse, always make sure that you are consistently having at least one daily bowel movement.

Dark spots on the face are signs of aging. You may need to check your hormone levels. Also, if you see dark spots make sure that you support your liver and that you are eating plenty of foods that are rich in antioxidants—like fermented cabbage.

If you see dark circles under the eyes, avoid coffee and other stimulants, as often this is related to the adrenal energy and could be indicators of adrenal fatigue.

A pale, ashy complexion can mean low energy, blood deficiency, or even anemia. If you see a pale face, watch out for emotional extremes—like anxiety or depression. Also, make sure that you have enough enzymes to break down food, especially proteins. You may eat the ideal diet, but if you are not able to digest the food that you eat, you will not receive its nutrients.

Whatever your complexion looks like—whether you have acne, age spots, large pores, small pores, or wrinkles—your skin and your body will benefit from facial massage.

Massage stimulates the production of collagen and improves the elasticity of skin. It moves blood. It can also help circulate the lymph fluid (especially around the neck) and drain stored toxins.

I also recommend making a face-mask with coconut water kefir. Studies show there are specific strains of bacteria that live on the skin and that our gut health is tied to our skin health.

What about you? Have you noticed if any changes in your body show up in your face?