I can actually think of more than 3 reasons to use aloe vera gel on eczema, but here are my top three:
1. When applied topically, it calms irritated skin and helps to stop itching. So there's less tendency to scratch the problem area, with a consequent reduction in scar formation.
2. Aloe gel, with its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, lubricates sensitive tissue safely and is absorbed quickly - promoting healing without marking clothes.
3. It is so gentle that it can be used on all skin problems - even those of a young baby! In fact, the specific aloe vera gel I use can actually be massaged into a baby's gums to ease teething!
This gel is an incredibly versatile product both for humans and animals. I am never without a tube in my medicine cabinet, for as well as helping eczema it can be used to soothe wounds, various skin irritations, minor cuts, stings and abrasions. Personally, I prefer to use it from a tube, rather than breaking off leaves from a plant and mutilating it - besides which it is only Aloe Barbadensis Miller that has the most potent healing properties. For eczema, I recommend washing the affected area with aloe vera soap (or other very pure soap) before using the topical gel. Why? Because the gel is absorbed so totally after application, it could be carrying harmful chemicals with it into the skin if any are present in the soap used. I also recommend tackling the problem from within as well as without! I've found, throughout many years of using aloe vera products, that skin problems often clear up much faster if aloe is taken internally as well as applied externally.
Why might this be?
Aloe expert Dr Peter Atherton, in his Top 10 Reasons To Drink Aloe Vera Gel, speaks of it increasing the activity of fibroblasts - specialised cells found in the skin. He says their job is to produce fibre such as collagen and elastin - the fibres that give the skin its structure, making it look plump and elastic. Of course the more of these you have, the younger (and healthier) your skin is likely to look! Dr Atherton refers too to the appearance of skin cells when they are first produced deep in the epidermis. He explains that at this stage the cells are rather large and very much alive, whereas by the time they reach the surface after approximately 21-28 days (in normal skin) they are transformed into thin flakes of keratin that eventually fall off.
According to him, aloe gel provides the essential nutrition to feed the basal cells. So the skin stays healthy and able to perform the vital functions more efficiently, while also looking much better!
There you are, then - more than 3 reasons to use aloe vera gel on eczema! I hope you find them helpful.
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