ABSTRACT
In Japanese traditional medicine, “<i>ganmenshin</i>” (facial diagnosis), which means assessment of a patient's health based on the color of his/her face, is frequently used in a clinical setting. However, little scientific evidence is available to substantiate such diagnoses. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between skin color and patient's health status to ascertain the clinical usefulness of the “<i>ganmenshin</i>” technique. We evaluated the color of the cheeks and forearms of 30 healthy study participants and also administered questionnaires to determine their health. A correlation was observed between skin color and work efficiency and the <i>inkyo </i>(yin-fluid deficiency) scores in all subjects. In male subjects, skin color was correlated with their bodymass index (BMI), self-rated health status, work efficiency, and <i>suitai </i>(fluid stagnation) scores. In female subjects, skin color was correlated with the patient's age, work efficiency, and <i>inkyo </i>scores. These results suggest that “<i>ganmenshin</i>” may be clinically useful because of the correlation between skin color and the health of patients.