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KINGSTON, Jamaica, September 11, 2019 (CMC) – Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, is urging Jamaicans to desist from using bleaching creams as anti-aging formulas.
He said he wants people, who are aging, to focus on eating healthy and exercising, rather than using quick formulas to look younger, as the creams, oftentimes, have long-term side-effects that impact the health of the users.
“I am saying to the population, bleaching cream is unhealthy. It’s not going to make you look better and enjoy longevity of life. It won’t solve the aging issue,” Tufton explained, as he launched Caribbean Wellness Day 2019 — that will be observed, across the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM), on Saturday.
“Bleaching cream and plastic surgery cannot deal with aging… I think the world has become enticed — whether through marketing efforts, anecdotal evidence, our own personal hopes and aspirations — that there’s a quick fix to everything that we do, and can be enticed with measures for self-preservation that give a very short-term hope and, ultimately, leads to dismay and disaster,” he added.
Tufton said there are some fundamental underpinnings of healthy aging, driven by science and research, with best practices that include living a lifestyle that moderates consumption habits with activities each day, which he is encouraging Jamaicans to consider, instead of bleaching their skin.
“The real solution lies in how we treat ourselves and how we take responsibility for caring for ourselves and, indeed, beyond that, planning for the future… We need to see aging as an opportunity, not as a threat,” he said.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, along with its stakeholders, will be hosting numerous activities, in recognition of Caribbean Wellness Day 2019.
Some of these activities include health expos and health fairs. One major activity, promoting healthy lifestyles, is the Colour Me Happy Run, which is endorsed by Jamaica Moves.
