What do spots on different parts of the face mean?

In Chinese medicine, it’s believed that each part of the face acts as a window to an internal area of the body. Whether that facial area is healthy or unhealthy-looking can indicate how well specific internal organs are functioning.

This is something we see ring true time and time again, especially when it comes to pinpointing the causes of spots. Many of our blemish-prone customers tend to have a specific area where they break out more often – and ask us what spots on each part of the face mean.

We’ve already covered what spots on your temples mean, but how about the rest of your face? To help you work out whether there may be an underlying reason for your spots, we’ve put together our ‘face map’ to show which organ each area is thought to relate to.

1. Forehead

Spots on the forehead tend to indicate a stressed bladder or digestive system. To help ease this, try increasing your intake of water, green tea and fibre-rich foods that help dispel toxins and excess waste.

Contact spots are also common in this area where grease from the hair can creep onto the face, so try and keep your hair up and out of the way if you’re exercising or between hair washes.

2. Between the brows

Spots between the eyebrows are thought to be linked to the liver, so they can often crop up the morning after a night out!

They can also be a result of over-indulging in rich or processed food, so try cutting back on foods high in refined sugar or salt and stick to fresh, home-cooked meals.

Reducing your alcohol intake will not only help see off between-brow blemishes but will also help to brighten your skin. Alcohol is a diuretic, which not only causes dehydration but also depletes vital skin nutrients, giving your skin the classic ‘grey’ hue the next day.

3. Cheeks

Typically, the cheeks and nose are related to the lungs, so you may be prone to spots here if you regularly suffer from colds or chest infections.

But if you’re cold-free and have a healthy respiratory system, your phone could be the blemish culprit! The average phone screen supposedly harbours more bacteria than a toilet seat, so make sure you wipe it down with an antibacterial cleaner every few days, to avoid spot-causing bacteria transferring to your skin when you’re on a call.

If you suffer from small spots and redness on the cheeks, it could be a sign of Rosacea. See our tips for keeping Rosacea under control for more information.

4. Chin and jawline

Spots on the chin and along the jawline are usually linked to hormonal issues.

They often crop up at the same time of the month or may be linked to your contraception, new medication, illness or pregnancy. It is notoriously difficult to treat hormonal acne with topical products alone – you need to take a more holistic approach to restore any imbalances.

Book in for a free skin consultation with us for more advice and our skin coaches can guide you through it.

Struggling with spots on your face? Browse our skincare for blemish-prone skin