What are your zits telling you?

Zone 1 & 2: Digestive System — Eat less processed or junk food, reduce the amount of fat in your diet, step up water intake and opt for cooling things like cucumbers.

Zone 3: Liver — Cut out the alcohol, greasy food and dairy. This is the zone where food allergies also show up first, so take a look at what you’re eating. On top of that, get some exercise and adequate sleep so your liver can rest.

Zone 4 & 5: Kidneys — Anything around the eyes, including dark circles, point to dehydration. Bottoms up!

Zone 6: Heart — Check your blood pressure and Vitamin B levels. Look into ways to lower your cholesterol level, replace “bad fats” with “good fats” such as Omegas 3 and 6 found in nuts, avocados, fish and flax seed. On top of that, this area is chock-full of dilated pores, check that your makeup is not past its expiry date or is skin-clogging.

Zone 7 & 8 (ears): Kidneys — Again, drink up! And cut down on aerated drinks, coffee and alcohol, as these will cause further dehydration.

Zone 9 & 10: Respiratory system — Do you smoke? Have allergies? This is your problem area for both. If you don’t check any of these boxes, your body may be overly acidic. Avoid foods like meat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine and sugar and alkalise the body with green vegetables and green juices like wheatgrass or kale.

Another thing that most people forget – dirty cell phones and pillow cases are two of the top acne culprits and this area is what they affect the most! Wipe your phones clean and wash your sheets regularly!

Zone 11 & 12: Hormones — This area is where your body tells you your body is going through some stress or hormonal changes. While both are sometimes unavoidable, you can try and help your system by getting adequate sleep, drinking enough water and avoiding the usual nasty foods.

Another interesting point: breakouts in this area indicate when you are ovulating and on which side.

Zone 13: Stomach — Step up the fibre intake, reduce the toxin overload and drink herbal teas to help with digestion.

Zone 14: Illness — Zits here can be a sign that your body is fighting bacteria to avoid illness. Give your body a break, take a yoga class, take a nap, take time to breathe deeply, drink plenty of water and know that everything always works out!

While this face map is a good indication of why you’re experiencing breakouts, as with all medical issues, it’s best to consult your doctor or a dermatologist to give you a prognosis.