Whether you've had acne since you were a teenager or you've just developed the skin condition and can't stop picking at your face, you're not alone. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, approximately 85 percent of people ages 18 to 24 will experience acne. Still, it's an experience that can feel incredibly isolating. While no two cases are exactly the same, figuring out what type of acne you have can help you determine the right road map for treatment.
So, what if we told you that that pimple that always seems to pop up on your cheek isn't as random as you thought? According to facial acne mapping, a thousands-of-years-old practice with roots in Ayurvedic principles and Chinese medicine, breakouts can correlate with a specific organ or something internal in the body (like hormones), or can be triggered by something as simple as your hair-care routine.
Here's how it works: to decode your acne and determine the initial cause, you first need to look at where a blemish is presenting itself. Is it on your cheek? Your forehead? Or do you only get acne on your chin? These areas on your face can all point to different reasons you might be breaking out.
"Facial acne mapping plays off the idea that energy flows along pathways between organs, and different zones of the face will correlate to specific organs," board-certified dermatologist Jessie Cheung, MD, of Cheung Aesthetics & Wellness in Chicago, tells POPSUGAR. "Pimples, redness, or dryness on the face are thus attributed to internal organ imbalances."
While the validity of acne face mapping is debated in the dermatological world, and the practice has evolved over time, it never hurts to consider what your acne might be telling you (especially if you're also heeding advice from a dermatologist). That's why we put together this simple road map ahead to help you pinpoint the potential problem based on the location of your breakout.