real wellness
‘Our faces reveal many emotions. You can look at someone and immediately see whether they’re sad, stressed, angry or happy, and it’s the muscles under the skin which form these expressions,’ says Abigail James in her book Love Your Skin (Kyle Books, £20). But, it’s not just muscles that tell the story.
‘According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), specific areas of the face relate to different internal organs and systems. This means that skin concerns on areas of the face – including breakouts, redness, dry patches, swelling and deep wrinkles – may be caused by underlying issues, or imbalances connected with organs and systems inside the body. The benefits of TCM have been well-documented over thousands of years. It’s not as simple as a breakout in one area indicating a specific problem with an organ,’ adds James. ‘The lower cheeks relate to the lung meridian, but if you suffer from recurring spots there, it doesn’t always mean you have an issue with your respiratory system. The lung meridian has an emotional association, and the breakouts may be caused by grief, anxiety, lack of self-esteem or depleted energy levels. If home products don’t work, you may find TCM helps you to locate the root cause of your problem. It’s about restoring balance and promoting the free flow of chi, the energy life force that travels through channels known as meridians,’ she says.