There are many renditions to face mapping in TCM! The most common ones are from the 2 classics “Spiritual Axis” and “Simple Questions”. I am sharing the one that I have found very useful over the years in my practice. Like the ear, the tongue, the belly, and the limbs, the face is a microsystem that reflects what’s going on internally in the body.

The Microsystems observed in Face Mapping
  • The Heart areas (above the eyebrows and above the upper lip): wrinkles or redness in these areas may indicate high blood pressure.
  • The Liver area is located at Yin Tang for a good reason! Stress, irritability, and anger will cause Yin Tang to be overloaded with years of frowning, causing wrinkles there.
  • The Kidneys health reflects under the eyes. Dark circles may indicate a lack of sleep for years depleting the adrenals and causing the TCM KD to age faster!
  • The Spleen shows imbalances in the nose area. Pimples or blackheads may indicate blood sugar issues or gut inflammation.
  • The Lung area on the lower cheek can reflect Lung deficiency when dryness and wrinkles are prominent.
  • The Small Intestine on the forehead area: pimples on the forehead may indicate bacteria overgrowth and absorption issues.
  • The Gallbladder areas at the corner of the eyes often have wrinkle lines and may be a cause of indecision.
  • The Bladder on the forehead area: pimples on the forehead may indicate a lack of hydration.
  • The Stomach area on the cheek often will show redness and indicate ST Heat.
  • The Large Intestine at the corner of the mouth often may dry showing colon issues.
  • The reproductive system area (which connects to the TCM Kidneys) is located on the chin. Pimples and cystic acne here show a reproductive hormone imbalance.

Let me know what you think and keep rocking with TCM!
Clara
TCM Geek

PS: you can also check out my posts on the Observation method of diagnosis in TCM, and Observation of the Lips in Chinese medicine.