What Element is Your Skin

We would never think of treating the inside of the body simply as normal, oily or dry, so why the skin? Instead try to see the skin in the same way you view your liver or your heart... as a system that works best when in balance. Everyone wants healthy skin. Skin products and treatments have always been based on the idea that skin is normal, oily or dry, or a combination of these. In fact, the skin is simply an extension of the tissues of the body. It is alive just as all of our other tissues are. We would never think of treating the inside of the body simply as normal, oily or dry, so why the skin? Instead try to see the skin in the same way you view your liver or your heart... as a system that works best when in balance.

Using the Chinese system of elements is an amazing way to look at not only the body, but the skin. This allows us to treat the skin differently in different seasons, and to maintain balance by using energetically active compounds on the skin that match the skin’s elemental needs. In the Chinese Five Element theory, we have a natural biorhythm that follows the seasons as well as a birth biorhythm which is our body’s inherent requirements for health. The five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The interaction between these two biorhythms, that of our birth and that of the season, can create imbalances which affect not just our body systems, but also our skin.

Wood imbalances usually manifest as oily skin, blackheads or hyperpigmentation. The scalp and hair will tend to be oily and there will be body issues related to an imbalance of yin and yang aspects.

Fire imbalances will cause red, sensitive and blotchy skin, even couperose. There will be excessive perspiration and a red, irritated scalp. This person may also have problems with arterial circulation.

Earth imbalances will be more blemishes, toxicity of the body and skin, acne, psoriasis and enlarged pores. The hair will look heavy and there may even be pimples on the scalp. The lymphatic system will be the area of most congestion.

Metal people will have dull, lifelss skin, congestion, puffiness and even dry flaky skin. Their scalp will be dry with dry and brittle hair and nails. Their body issues will be focused in the venous circulation and they may have a problem with varicose veins.

Water people are the ones that are thirsty often or not at all, have swelling issues in the hands and feet and will tend to retain water while urinating frequently, even urgently. Their skin will have a lack of elasticity and be very dehydrated resulting in wrinkles and lines. Excess kidney energy will cause puffiness under the eyes, while the depeletion of their energy will cause dark circles to form. Their hair will be limp with no volume or body.

Any energetic imbalance in the biorhythm can first be seen in the skin even before body symptoms develop. Chinese physicians have been diagnosing individual problems based on examining the skin for centuries. Since the skin is a representation of imbalances throughout the body, and is also an extension of the body, logically we should be able to energetically change our body’s biorhythm simply by treating the skin. Selecting products that do just that is the most ancient and the newest approach to skin care. Don’t just treat skin problems, prevent them by focusing on balancing the body’s biorhythm element every day, and your skin will give you lasting beauty inside and out.