Beauty Begins with Mind and Body Regulation
During the quiet period around year-end and New Year, many people take time to pamper their "face." However, Ms. Zhao, in her thirties, struggles with a common dilemma: after achieving initial skin improvements, results seem less noticeable or even plateau. Dr. Qu Jianhua, Deputy Director of Dermatology at Beijing Traditional Chinese Hospital, explains: beauty is not merely superficial. Her confusion is representative—many people place excessive expectations on facial care while neglecting diet, sleep, lifestyle, emotions, and illness impacts on youthfulness. Skin, as the body’s outermost organ, reflects overall health. TCM holds "the heart’s brilliance appears on the face" and "yangming stomach meridian nourishes the face." Thus, good skin requires both symptomatic treatment and addressing root causes—treating underlying diseases.
TCM teaches "a hundred thoughts affect the heart, injuring internal organs and damaging appearance," and "sudden joy injures yang, sudden anger injures yin," "joy and anger harm qi"—as the saying goes, "all diseases originate from qi." Emotions are deeply linked to health and beauty: stress and anxiety cause premature graying, worry and sensitivity accelerate wrinkles, even emotional trauma leaves marks on the face.
Dietary moderation is essential for beauty. First, eat balanced meals; second, avoid food preferences; third, observe restrictions. TCM believes individuals vary, reacting differently to foods. Generally, seafood like fish and shrimp easily trigger allergic reactions—those with allergies should avoid them. Spicy, stimulating foods generate internal heat; rich, greasy foods create internal dampness. Both dampness and heat worsen skin conditions, causing blisters and acne.
Regular routines are another key to beauty. Some people work late nights, party, surf online, or play mahjong deep into the night, disrupting life patterns and easily throwing endocrine systems off balance. Ignore it for days, and eventually your body will show consequences.
Some spend money monthly entrusting their face to beauticians, yet eat whatever they want and sleep whenever they please—this won’t work. Dr. Qu warns: beauty is not just external—it’s internal. To preserve your "face," start with holistic mind-body care.