Jessica Turner 
The eyes may well be the window to the soul but that leaves the face as an even bigger window, with a direct view to the internal workings of the body and, subsequently, its largest organ, the skin.
Based on principles within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), face reading can help to diagnose overall health and wellbeing – its evidence rising to the surface of the skin and often walking through your door in the guise of dark circles under the eyes, pigmentation on the cheeks or acne along the jaw line.
‘We need to assess whether we are looking at internal or external factors when reading a client’s skin and topical skincare will always compliment internal health in order to produce the best results,’ says Skinstitut’s Fiona Tuck*, who has developed a holistic skin analysis training module based on TCM, naturopathic diagnosis and nutritional medicine.
‘As a therapist and business owner, you need to attract clients who are on your same frequency but some people just don’t ‘get it’.
‘I’m looking for areas that aren’t completely clear, are red, irritated, flaky, breakout-prone or pigmented because that will tell me if the condition is current or chronic.
‘The more current it is, it will manifest as red or flaky. The more chronic it is, the more build-up there will be, with signs such as capillaries, pigmentation and deep lines.’
Key areas to observe are the:
- Forehead, associated with the bladder, stomach digestion and small intestine
- Brows, associated with stress, anger, adrenal and thyroid issues
- Eyes, related to the kidneys, livers and toxin release
- Cheeks, related to the lungs, congestion, circulation and grief
- Lips, associated with digestion
- Chin, related to reproductive hormones, the ovaries and bowel.
Fiona, who has also trained in aromatherapy, reflexology and natural therapies, adds that giving general advice is important but therapists must acknowledge when they are no longer an expert and need to refer the client to a specialist.
Training staff to know these boundaries is therefore crucial. However, it offers your business a chance to build a network of like-minded wellness professionals, from naturopaths and yogis to doctors and psychologists.
‘This resurging wellness movement is placing the therapist in a new position so continuing education is vital,’ says Fiona. ‘Every day there are new findings related to health, so it is important to seek out this research and compare to what has come before.
‘Therapists cannot ignore this aspect of client care and I predict a huge health movement in the next 10 years which will see us move towards preventative medicine and skin therapies as opposed to our current obsession with the quick-fix.’
To Fiona, then, the face never lies. The face truthfully reveals what is going on in the body and it is with this knowledge that the therapist adds value to the client experience, builds trust and ultimately gets to the root of each skin condition. Let’s face it, what client wouldn’t want that?
* Fiona Tuck (aka the Myth Minx) is director of Skinstitut www.skinstitut.com
