Got this from an email forward…

Why bicycle shorts are black…..

and not red

North, east, south, west – Which way should ‘it’ look?

Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon said the ministry carried out random sampling and found the content of propionic acid within the permissible range.  (about some breads)

On the recent controversy over SK-II cosmetic products, Lee said tests based on random sampling found relatively low chromium and neodymium.

“We assume the products are safe. But one needs to be careful when using such products. It will not give adverse effects if used according to prescription,” he added.

The controversy arose when the Guangdong Centre for Inspection and Quarantine in China recently found that the products imported from Japan contained chromium and neodymium.

Manufacturer Procter & Gamble (M) Sdn Bhd yesterday placed a full-page advertisement that all SK-II products here complied with standards and regulations.

It said the amount of chromium from the use of the cosmetics was 100 times less than what the World Health Organisation considered as safe in the daily diet while the neodymium exposure was 1,000 times less than the safe level.

If one reads the full page advertisement, one may notice that they use the word ‘believe to be safe’.  So, with words like assume and believe, where do we consumers stand?  Continue using?

SK-II cosmetics are safe for use and the products will continue to be available here, according to a statement issued by the local representative.

Procter & Gamble (M) Sdn Bhd said it wanted to clear the air in light of recent negative news reports on some of its products in China.

It said the controversy was triggered by a press release on Sept 14, stating that the Guangdong Centre for Inspection and Quarantine had found chromium and neodymium in nine SK-II products imported from Japan.

The company explained that chromium and neodymium were not used in making SK-II products.

“Trace elements of these ingredients exist naturally in the environment, and in food, water and cosmetic products.

“The trace levels of chromium in question are 100 times less than what the World Health Organisation considers safe in our everyday diet.

“Similarly, the level of neodymium exposure is at least 1,000 times less than what is considered to be safe,” the statement read.

The company said the trace levels found in SK-II products were well within limits recognised as safe within the European Union, the United States and other countries.

“All SK-II products in Malaysia comply with standards and regulations, which we believe are in accordance with government rules and regulations around the world.

“The US Food and Drug Authority regulations recognise that unavoidable levels of trace elements like chromium and neodymium can be found in cosmetic products and do not pose a health or safety risk to consumers,” the statement added.

It said SK-II sales had only been temporarily suspended in China, adding that this was not the case in Malaysia and other Asian markets. (copy from The Star Online)

Girls aged seven ‘have anorexia’

Girls as young as seven or eight have been treated at Great Ormond Street hospital for eating disorders, a senior consultant has confirmed.

Dr Jon Goldin said cases of anorexia and related conditions were “very rare” in such young children, but had been seen over 20 years at the hospital.

Great Ormond Street, the famous children’s hospital in central London, has a special unit for treating young children with eating disorders.

These could include the onset of puberty, a “perfectionist” personality type and genetic reasons. In a minority of cases, children had been abused, he said.

For others, cultural issues and expectations – a belief that to be beautiful you must be thin – might play a part. (full news here)

There are so many factors that can contribute to this disorders and I must say that parents have a big  influence.  If the moms are constantly on a diet, worrying about their figures and forego their health for the sake of beauty, it is natural that their daughters will follow their footsteps.

With eating disorders on the increase, it is irresponsible to be glorifying unnatural images that put impressionable girls’ and women’s health at risk,” she said.

‘Young women need role models that look like real women, not stick insects on a catwalk.”

So, moms with young daughters, are you unconsciously sending out the wrong message to your daughters?  Will their health be comprised?

You gotta see the mob caused by the angry users demanding for refunds from SKII.  Amboi, ganas nyerrr….. Even the Thailand coup d’etat pales in comparison.  LOL.

Seriously, why do the cosmetic company keep  silence over this issue?  They should know that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned (of her demands for refund).  A short term loss is way better than a long term damage to their reputation worldwide.

Hundreds of angry Chinese women have taken to the streets of Shanghai demanding refunds for US-Japanese cosmetics after authorities detected banned chemicals in some of the products.

Chinese authorities had found chromium and neodymium ions in several SK-II products imported from Japan, including powder, foundation, lotion and cleansing oil.

Chromium can cause eczema, while neodymium irritates the skin and can damage the lungs and liver if inhaled.

Procter and Gamble China was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

Zhao Jiaoli, secretary-general of the Shanghai Consumers Association, said Procter and Gamble had failed to respond to their queries.

“Weve been contacting them and hope they can send someone to Shanghai to help solve the problem,” said Zhao.

At the rate this is going, I am going over to the SKII counter here this weekend and return my bottle of unused cream.  I don’t have my receipt but with the Crystal club card, I am sure they can trace the date I bought it.

Now, what brand should I acquire this time for my skincare?

“Can we return and get a refund for SK-2 products in Malaysia?”I am too lazy to move my butt to the SKII counter in Metrojaya, Penang to ask this. I hope someone has a clearer picture of this matter? I have an unused bottle of the red jar Advance Signs Treatment, half a bottle of Whitening Essense, cleanser, miracle essence and maybe a mask. Woohoo…if only I can return them all for the money. I am not one scaredy cat afraid of dying of cancer but I sure love to return the stuffs if the reports I read in the China and Hongkong media are true.

Many reports have said nine (some said four) SKII products are found with high metal content.

Meanwhile, health concern become intensified as excessive heavy metals are found in products of SK-II, a famous and popular Japanese cosmetic brand, which claimed to have whitening and lifting effects on skin.

City University of Hong Kong announced Friday that their test results showed 4 products of SK-II contain heavy metals Nd and Cr, which are forbidden to use in cosmetics selling in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Customs has taken some SK-II samples from local market and said they will announce its test result in a week.

The largest chain store of cosmetics Sa Sa announced to call back all SK-II sold by Sa Sa. Mannings, an chain pharmacy, said customers can turn back SK-II within 14 days. (source)

Meanwhile, I think it is wise for our local Malaysia SK-2 to at least shed some light to us users instead of keeping mum. After all, they have been so active in promoting their membership card and stuffs. I haven’t seen any announcement in our local papers nor information on their website.

In a statement released late Thursday, Procter & Gamble’s Guangzhou headquarters denied it had added the substances to its products and said all products had passed a strict examination by the health and quarantine authorities when entering the Chinese market.

The company released its second statement Friday, saying it would cooperate with the authorities to resolve the issue.

The State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said late Thursday that the brand’s whitening source pan-cake contained 4.5 milligrams of neodymium per kilogram, while the other eight products, including cleansing oil, essence, mask, cream, lotionsand foundation, contained 0.77 to two milligrams of chromium per kilogram.

The substances are banned in cosmetics on the mainland, as they could cause eczema and liver problems if used over a long period of time. (source)

Anyway, while writing this, I managed to call up the Crystal Club toll-free line 1800-80-1782 and obtained the following:

“if our customers are not confident with our products at the moment, we would advice them to temporarily stop using SK-2 products until further advice. The products found to contain the harmful metal substances are only in China and Hongkong. There is no refund of SK2 products at the moment.”

To my question if our Malaysian products are being tested at the moment, the staff said this, ” Yes, the report will be out in a while.”

As for me, I am still using the cleanser, lotioin, miracle essence and cream. I only stop using the whitening lotion these few weeks. And guess what? This blog is on the first page of Google search.

If you are a user of SK-2 (SK-II, SK-11 wateva), do call up their toll free number 1800-80-1782 for information if you are too lazy to visit the nearest cosmetic counter.

Research found that Botox treatment may be addictive:

Doctors found 40% of patients using Botox expressed a compulsive desire for further treatments.

People need to keep having jabs otherwise the effects of the treatment – which paralyses the muscles – rapidly wears off.

The research will be presented at a meeting of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. (BBC)

Meanwhile, Kris Dayanti is in a dilemma because Botox is not halal.

Penyanyi popular Indonesia, Kris Dayanti, 31, masih mengamalkan suntikan Botulinum Toxin Type A (Botox) untuk menegangkan kulit supaya kelihatan menarik.

Bagaimanapun beliau terkejut apabila diberitahu, Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan Malaysia, baru-baru ini mengharamkan suntikan Botox untuk tujuan kosmetik kepada umat Islam.

“Saya shock (terkejut) teramat ini… aduh, apa… fatwa ini baru? Ini berat hukumnya… ya kerana perkara ini sudah termaktub dari segi agama. Saya tidak boleh lengah, perkara ini mesti saya tanyakan kepada doktor kecantikan saya secepat mungkin. (Berita Harian)

Well, whether Botox is addictive or not, I suppose when a woman has been given a new look, it is almost impossible for her to swallow the pride and go back to the ‘old’ look, isn’t it? You can see a before and after photo of Kris Dayanti. She better finds a solution to this religious issue fast because Botox jab only last 4-6 months.

Personally, it is against my Catholic faith to do anything to enhance beauty in artificial way like this or plastic surgeries. Hahaha, anyway, I would never have the spare moolah to enjoy these frills. Thank God!