Chinese Face Reading
What Traditionally Trained Doctors Can Tell by Reading Your Face
Could your doctor give you a diagnosis based on what he or she “reads” on your face? If your doctor is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, the answer is probably yes. Professional face readers say that close scrutiny of the face allows them to determine the health, energies, and personality of their patients. Given the increasing interest in alternatives to conventional medicine, Chinese face reading is gaining attention.
Principles of Face Reading
Your face reflects your diet, emotional status, and internal balance/imbalance. Chinese face reading incorporates the energies of the five elements—water, wood, fire, earth, and metal--plus the concept of harmony (yin and yang) to make diagnoses. Ideally, there should be harmony between yang (bones in the face) and yin (soft tissues). All of these factors are symbols and represent qualities of energy that are reflected in a person’s face, energy which professional face readers observe and interpret.
Face Types
Each of the five elements corresponds to a specific face shape and reveals health problems a person is most likely to experience, as well as recommended foods. Here is a brief explanation of the five face types. Keep in mind that people often have features of several types.
- Wood. Long face, long nose, broad and high forehead, narrow cheeks. Likely to have digestive problems, including gallstones and ulcers, and should not eat fatty or greasy foods or drink alcohol.
- Fire. Long face with prominent cheekbones, pointed chin. May have freckles and curly or wiry hair. Experience insomnia and heart problems; should include bitter foods in the diet (arugula, chicory, dandelion) and take ginseng.
- Metal. Oval face with widely set cheekbones, pale complexion. Allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems are common. Best foods are those that contain lots of minerals; junk food should be avoided.
- Earth. Short square face with distinct jawline, sallow complexion, and large mouth. Stomach and spleen problems are common; sugary and dairy foods should be avoided.
- Water Type. Round and chubby face, large soft eyes. Dark blue rings under the eyes may indicate repressed emotions. Chronic or long-term stress can deplete the kidney yin, which makes water types susceptible to inflammatory conditions. Weight is a problem so nonfatty, low-calorie foods are recommended.
The Face as Map
Various areas of the face correspond to different internal organs and can give an experienced practitioner crucial information. The area under the eyes, for example, corresponds to the kidneys and liver. If the skin is brown, the liver may be overworked due to stress, rich food, or alcohol. If that region is puffy and blue, the adrenal glands may be overloaded. Ears that are redder than facial skin indicates adrenal stress as well.
Spots and lines on the forehead suggest a gallbladder and/or liver that is congested from too much greasy food or dairy products. A red, swollen chin may signal candida, while a protruding lower lip indicates a sluggish colon. An upper lip that is red, cracked, or has spots at the corners may indicate stomach acidity.
According to Confucius, “Look into a person’s pupils—he cannot hide himself.” Eyes that glow indicate a strong heart and internal harmony, while dull eyes tell of stress and imbalance.
Face reading is becoming more popular. To learn more, you can read Face Reading in Chinese Medicine by Lillian Bridges (Churchill Livingstone 2003) and Your Face Tells All: Learn the Wisdom of the Chinese Art of Face Reading by Kanto Ilona (Atophill Publishing, 2005).
