It is hard to concentrate when you are distracted and recent research done by Mikki Hebl at Rice University and Juan Madera at the University of Houston has shown that if you have a birth mark, severe acne or acne scars; your chances of landing that much wanted job could be hindered.

That is because the interviewer’s concentration is on the actual blemish or birth mark, which means less of what the applicant is saying is taken in.

“When evaluating applicants in an interview setting, it’s important to remember what they are saying,” Mikki Hebl, a psychology professor at Rice University, said in a university news release. “Our research shows if you recall less information about competent candidates because you are distracted by characteristics on their face, it decreases your overall evaluations of them.”

An experiment was conducted whereby volunteers posing as job seekers had special effects make up to create a blemished or scarred face.

Eye tracking was then used on 170 undergraduate students doing a mock interview on a computer. It showed that the more severe the blemish, the less they heard about what was said; but more importantly, when they were questioned later about the applicant, they recalled less and gave the person a lower rating.

Another experiment was done with 38 experienced managers used to hiring workers. Face to face interviews were arranged whereby the applicants were interviewed one on one. Despite having interviewed many candidates before, the managers were still distracted by facial scars and birthmarks. In fact, they were more distracted and gave an even lower rating than the undergraduates from seeing the facial blemishes first hand.

“The bottom line is that how your face looks can significantly influence the success of an interview,” Hebl said. “There have been many studies showing that specific groups of people are discriminated against in the workplace, but this study takes it a step further, showing why it happens. The allocation of attention away from memory for the interview content explains this.”

Both Hedl and Madera hope that by bringing this research to light, they will be able to raise awareness against this type of discrimination.

Read original article 1 and article 2 here.

Face Mapping for Acne Analysis

Chinese ‘Mien Shiang’ literally means face reading and is also known as face mapping. Face mapping for acne will help understand the underlying health and well being of an individual. Face mapping in general is also popular in the Chinese culture as a way to read one’s character but for this post, we will look at the health aspect.

The face, as the Taoist would say, records the past, reflects the present and forecast the future.

Here is a video that explains a little more about face mapping for acne:

Face Mapping For Acne:

Forehead : Liver and Gall bladder

Cause:
Lack of sleep, too many late nights, eating too much fatty foods, drinking too much alcohol will lead to a spotty forehead. This reflects very much your digestion and you will need to help your body with less processed and fatty foods.

You may also need to stop wearing caps and hats (or make sure they are clean), avoid having a fringe and keep your forehead clear of anything that may irritate it.

Remedies:
Eat as much raw food as you can and drink lots of water to help your liver. Get lots of fresh air, do some brisk walking to get the circulation going and rest more.

Between the Eyebrows : Stomach and Liver

Cause:
Again this could be excessive rich foods or processed foods overloading your system. You could also be lactose intolerant and finding it hard to digest heavier foods such as meat.

Remedies:
Raw foods, lots of water and try to cut out on diary and meat products for a week or two and see there are any improvements.

Temples and Brows : Kidneys

Cause:
Too much toxin, too much stress and too little water – causing too much ‘heat’ inside your body

Remedies:
Drink lots of pure water and eat ‘cooling’ foods such as watermelon, cucumbers, apples to combat the excessive ‘heat’.

Nose : Heart

Cause:
High cholesterol and fatty foods will block arteries and impede blood circulation.Toxins will try to ‘escape’ through the skin as the other organs become overloaded.

Remedies:
Drink herbal teas to reduce cholesterol. The best is Organic Green Tea as it has gone through less fermentation process and is full of anti-oxidants; or you could also try Oolong Tea 2 -3 times a day. Do 30 minutes of light to moderate exercise daily and eat low fat fresh produce and lean protein.

Upper Cheeks : Lungs

Cause:
Pollution, smoking, asthma, respiratory ailments will all lead to breakouts and broken capillaries in this area. This is also the area where rosacea and acne could also flare up.

Remedies:
Fresh air and exercises that increase oxygen intake will help as well as avoiding fatty and spicy foods. Again avoid all the culprits such as caffeine, alcohol, processed foods and try to avoid too much diary products and meat. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the way to go.

Lower Cheeks : Stomach and Liver

Cause:
Indigestion, overload of toxins and too much rich foods. You will find that this and the mouth area are areas that flare up after a festive season such as Christmas where there are more fatty and sugary foods around.

Remedies:
Go easy on the sugary and fatty foods. Tempting as they are, eat a small portion or a small bite instead of eating the whole thing. Drink mint, aniseed or camomille teas after a big meal to aid your digestion. This is the time where a one to three day skin detox juice fast will do wonders to clear your skin.

Mouth and Chin : Stomach

Cause:
You are what you eat and it will show around the mouth. If you eat fast foods and no greens, then you will experience eruptions around the mouth and lower cheek area. Check also for teeth or gum problems and whether a change of toothpaste has had any adverse effects.

Remedies:
Cut out the processed foods, anything fried, spicy or oily and go fresh and green. Add more fiber to your diet and drink lots of water. See also remedies for the lower cheek.

Jawline : Colon and Ovaries

Cause:
Hormonal imbalances due to monthly periods for women, stress and other causes could link your acne and hormones together. Some medication will also cause a reaction in this area. Late nights and a change of climate, living habits (eg: travel), and also anxiety and stress can cause breakouts in this area.

Remedies:
Yoga, plenty of rest, deep breathing, meditation will all help to balance your mind and your body. Eat simply and organic where possible concentrating on leafy greens and fresh produce. Fish oil (Omega 3-6-9 ) and Evening Primrose Oil will also help.

Ears : Kidney

Cause:
Too much salty foods, not enough water, too much caffeine will cause the ear area to flare up.

Remedies:
Cut out on salt and beware of foods that have added salt. Read all food labels carefully. Drink water regularly during the day.

Although face mapping is a good indicator of our inner health, there are other factors also that contribute to acne skin problems. Personal hygiene, clothing, cleaning products, weather, foods, life style all play a part in our skin’s health.

Here you can pin point where your weak areas are and use the face mapping for acne information to make changes to eliminate the skin eruptions. Good luck!

Now that you know about face mapping and acne, read these other posts regarding acne diet, vitamins and minerals:

Acne vitamins – Eat right to get rid of acne 2
Acne vitamin 2 other supplements for beautiful clear skin
Chinese herbs acne relief

Learn about Chinese face reading:

Chinese Face Reading

and Acne Treatments

Acne is a very common problem and over 90% of all teenagers suffer from this skin condition at one point or another

History of Acne

during puberty.

Acne, which used to be known as Acne vulgaris, normally decreases dramatically after puberty but in some the condition will persist into adulthood.

Acne is a problem that has been around since ancient times and there are reports about ancient rules suffering from acne and skin conditions.

In ancient Rome they used sulphur in mineral water to treat acne and the use of suplhur as a treatment against acne survive well into the 19^thcentury.

Benzoyl peroxide was used as earlu as the 1920s but during the 1930s they tried a lot of other alternatives including radiation treatment and laxatives against acne.

When antibiotics became readily available in the 1950s patients and doctors soon noticed their effect on infected pimples. In time creams containing antibiotics were developed to treat acne.

During the 1980s, oral isotretinoin showed to be very effective against acne but the drug had serious side effects in pregnant women causing birth defects and miscarriages.

Women who suffers from acne can sometimes be treated by a hormonal acne treatment.

The estrogen / progestogen found in normal hormonal contraceptives have some effect, but serious ailments may require an antiandrogen combined with oestrogen.

In rare cases when one or several pimples grow unusually lagre and don’t react to other acne medication, a physician can chose to inject cortisone directly into it.

Even a small shot of cortisone tend to reduce redness and inflammation right away, but cortisone does come with serious side effects, especially if used for any longer period of time.

Camedones or blackheads as they are more commonly referred to today are a type of acne vulgaris where oil accumulate in the pores (sebaceous glands).

Many people believe that blackheads are the result of poor hygiene, but this is certainly not the case. Excessive cleaning can actually worsen the problem by causing dry skin, this prompting the body to produce even more oils.

Blackheads are usually unpleasant to look at but they are not dangerous, that said you might still want to know how to remove blackheads while avoiding to cause damage to the surrounding skin.

A common over the counter remedy is the adhesive strip that is placed on top of the blackheads. The blackheads stick to the tape and is removed when the tape is removed.

For individuals with a lot of blackhead related problems the strips can be impractical due to their temporary relief and in this cases salicylic acid might be a better solution.

What would celebrities acne sufferers do without make up and air brushing?  Too often, the perfect pictures makes one wonder : Are celebrities acne sufferers? Or are they really super humans with flawless skin and everything else perfect too?

Portraying celebrities, the rich and famous so totally perfect is a fallacy. They are humans too with human flaws : celebrity acne being one of them. Granted they may have better access and more money to deal with it, but they have it all the same.

Take Brad Pitt.

Handsome, confident, sexy and with a partner to die for.  Doesn’t everyone envy him? Yet he suffered from acne just like everyone else and has the acne scars and pock marks to show for it. You just don’t see it as he has an army of make up artists and a team of over zealous air brushers to erase the evidence of it – but it is there.

Then there is Cameron Diaz.

During an episode of Charlie’s Angels, my eagle eye actually caught sight (very fleetingly) of some not so well concealed acne marks. In fact, when caught on camera minus make up or looking ‘more casual’, the acne scars and marks are quite evident.

The one actor that has it and is not afraid to show it is Edward James Olmos. In fact, his scars have enhanced some of the characters he has played – who can forget his role in Miami Vice? (He is the one with the mustache in case you have forgotten!)

(Get tips here on Acne Scar Coverage)

You may not have the money or unlimited access to personal make up artists to lessen the visibility of your acne scars, but you can rest assured that acne strikes where ever it wants, regardless of who you are. The trick is not to let it take over your life. These celebrities acne sufferers didn’t…

Just to make you feel better – watch this video on Top Acne Celebrities

Acne Skin Care

Yes I know you know how to clean your face.

But there are some deadly sins when it comes to acne skin care or washing skin that have acne eruptions already.

Below are 7 deadly acne skin care tips on how to wash your face properly so that you can rid of your acne, not aggravate it.

The 7 Deadly Acne Skin Care Tips:

1) Use a mild soap. A lot of people think that if they use a stronger soap, it will help get rid of acne quicker. Much like if you drink stronger coffee, you will stay awake longer. It could not be more false. Irritating your already sensitive skin with strong detergent like soap will not only make the problem worse, it will dry your skin out so much you will look as if you have dandruff on your face. Ugh!

So steer clear of these super strong soap, and use something mild, with a PH balance of 5.5, and that is proven to be gentle on the skin. Finally, keep the water temperature at room temperature as too hot or too cold water could hamper your acne skin care routine.

2) Go easy when you wash.

Again, scrubbing with a face cloth or a brush, or worse yet using exfoliates will only make your skin break out more. Basically what you are doing is breaking the skin where the pimples are and spreading the infection. The broken skin gets infected, the pimple gets worse and well… you know the rest.

3) Do not use a towel to dry your face.

This was a tip I got from my dermatologist and it really helped. He told me to use disposable kitchen towels, the type that you wipe spills with and throw the towel away each time. More germs are found on cloth towels and if you do not change them everyday, you are harboring bacteria in the same towel you use to dry your freshly washed face. It’s a bit like drying yourself with a filthy towel after a shower. Defeats the whole purpose, doesn’t it?

4) Do not forget to wash places like your hairline.

Yup, you wash your face, all the main bits and you forget the parts where the pimples like most : the hair line, the jawline, and the side of your face right by your ears. The neck is also super important so don’t forget it either.

By the way, keep your hair off your face no matter how trendy the look. Bits of hair (especially unclean hair) brushing constantly against your skin could irritate it and hamper your acne skin care efforts.

5) No strong astringents.

You know the type, you can smell the alcohol a mile away. You may think you are disinfecting your face and killing off all the acne germs, but it is false thinking. Again this is too strong and will dry up all the natural oils your skin produces, which your skin will compensate by producing more oils to try and balance out the lack of natural oils on your face. Result? More oil, more blockages, more pimples. Need I say more?

6) Acne skin care is not a problem on the outside only.

Acne is a problem on the inside just as much as on the outside of your body. If you eat crap, your skin will look like crap plain and simple. Drinking not enough water, smoking, eating too much processed foods, constipation, lack of sleep – all these things will contribute to more acne problems. So do the right thing on the outside, but do yourself a favor and take care of your insides too. Your skin is your ‘third kidney’ and toxins will come out this way if you are too loaded up with toxins. Think about it.

7) Use natural products to treat various problems.

Witch hazel, lavender and tea tree oils are great to treat problem areas. Use pure aloe vera to condition your skin. There is more information on natural acne treatment for acne skin care on this website.