Skin Care and the Five Elements
by Jacqueline Bonfiglio-Naja and Richard Pacheco

How do the five elements and skin care connect? Skin, being the largest organ of the body, has the ability to renew and detoxify.  In Chinese philosophy, the skin is a “cousin lung” due to its ability to oxidize and “breathe.”  Chinese also regard it as a third kidney because of its detoxification abilities. Using the Chinese energy, biorhythm and the traditional aesthetics theory gives a complete personalized skin care outlook for your unique needs. Crucial to the success of this approach is the belief that you are not just matter, but energy as well.
There are five layers of the epidermis, or the first layer of the skin and they coincide with the five elements. The Five Element Theory is the cornerstone of the Chinese system. It relates all energy and substance to five elements—Fire, Earth, Metal (or Air), Water, and Wood.

Each element has a color, two body organs, a tissue it governs and other associations. The year in which you were born reveals if you are Yin or Yang energy and the element of your constitution.
A WOOD element represents the color green and the season of spring. The reflex zones are the liver and gall bladder. The aesthetics concerns can be oily skin, blackheads, dilated pores, millum (I don’t know what this word is supposed to be) and pigmentation. Congestion in this zone can indicate over-consumption of alcohol, rich foods and possibly a food allergy.

A FIRE element represents the color red and the season of summer. The reflex zones for this sign
are the heart and small intestine.  The aesthetics concerns here are couperose (I don’t know this word either),
redness, sensitive skin, congested skin and excessive perspiration. A reddened nose can indicate heightened
blood pressure of the early stages of rosacea. It also relates to the small intestine if you break out regularly.

An EARTH element represents the color yellow and is in between the seasons. The reflex zones for this element are the spleen and stomach. The aesthetics concerns are blurred complexion, localized blemishes, sensitive stomach and nervous energy.

A METAL element represents the color blue and is the season of autumn. The reflex zones are the lungs and large intestine. The aesthetics concerns are dry and de-mineralized skin, dull and asphyxiated skin and lymphatic issues. This area gives an accurate glimpse into any respiratory distress, smokers or people suffering from allergies.

The WATER element represents the color black and the season of winter. The reflex zones are the kidneys, bladder and ovaries. The aesthetics concerns are dehydrated skin, lack of tone, wrinkles, puffy eyes, dark circles around the eyes and hormonal imbalance. Jacqueline Bonfiglio-Naja is the owner of Jacqueline’s Advanced Skin Therapy in Dartmouth, MA with 20+ years of experience, knowledge and skills in aesthetics.  www.advskintherapy.com Richard Pacheco is an award-winning journalist, playwright, filmmaker and artist who lives in New Bedford, MA. www.imagination-unlimited.net