In the cosmetic industry, Aloe Vera is one of the most popular bio-active ingredients used as a base material for skin care products because of its well-known skin soothing and moisturizing properties. Commonly, consumers find Aloe Vera ingredients in products like:
Aloe Vera
External Usage
Cosmetic Industry (Beauty Industry)
The bio-active properties of the Aloe Vera are therapeutic as well and the plant has a long established reputation in the world of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAMS). The plant is well-known for its trans-dermal properties. It can reach deeper body tissues, allowing it to take all the nutrients of the aloe into the skin. Inflammatory type of skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, and acne, can benefit from these high transdermal and anti-inflammatory properties. Further results have shown glycol-nutrients act as humectants— a substance that absorbs or helps another substance retain water and moisture. Aloe helps retain moisture in damaged tissue; the penetrating power of Aloe allows water and other moisturizers to sink deeply into the skin, replenishing lost fluids and restoring the fatty layer. Aloe Vera allows uronic acids (which strip toxic materials of their harmful effects) to penetrate deeply, making the cleansing astringent qualities of Aloe more effective.
Natural Health Care Industry (Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
Aloe Vera is known to be used in assisting people with the following skin conditions:
Skin Burns
Some of the most dramatic results to date are in the treatment of burns. Studies have shown the application of an aloe vera gel can reduce the healing process by one-third the normal time. Aloe Vera is widely used in burn treatment at the trauma centres in California, Illinois, New York and Texas in the US. Aloe Vera possesses the type of enzymatic action that can absorb purulent matter and keep festering sores clean.
Skin Rejuvenation
In studies conducted by Dr Ivan E. Danhof, M.D., Ph.D., president of North Texas Research Laboratories and a retired Professor of Physiology from the University of Texas, the interior gel from Aloe Vera was found to increase production of human fibroblast cells by six to eight times, as compared to normal cell reproduction. Fibroblast cells are found in the dermis of the skin and are responsible for fabricating collagen, the skin’s support protein. During sun exposure and through the normal aging processes, fibroblasts slow their collagen production. As aging continues, the quality of collagen is lessened and wrinkling becomes deeper. Dr Danhof found that Aloe improved fibroblast cell integrity and also quickened the making of collagen.
Psoriasis
Studies have shown that aloe in a gel form can be more effective than using a cortisone product on burns and wounds. A recent study also showed that Aloe Vera is more effective in reducing itchiness, burning, inflammation and irritation on psoriasis skin than a 0.1% cortisone type cream.
Seborrhea
This is a fairly common skin condition, leading to oily, red, and scaly eruptions in areas such as the eyebrows, eyelids, nose, ear, upper lip, chest, groin, and chin. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 44 individuals found that four to six weeks of treatment with aloe ointment could significantly reduce symptoms of seborrhea.
Eczema
Many Aloe Vera users suffering from eczema have also reported that their symptoms reduced, with smoother and softer skin. It is not surprising that Dr Peter Atherton—a leading authority on Aloe Vera and a research Fellow at Oxford University studying the medicinal effects of Aloe Vera—supports the claims that Aloe Vera can treat damaged eczematous skin.
Acne
Other valuable components found in Aloe Vera, such as Salicylic acid—an important acne treatment—contains anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and exfoliating properties, valuable components in dealing with painful acne type skin. An added advantage is that Salicylic acid found in Aloe Vera will not dry out acne skin, which is quite common when using other salicylic type of creams.