| I first learned about aloe vera more than two | | | | severe. But this natural treatment would have |
| decades ago, when my mother brought home | | | | been free. The plants my mother brought home |
| some plants for her herb garden. At that time, it | | | | were quite hardy and easy to grow. This, plus the |
| was making a resurgence as a miracle cure-all. | | | | fact that there are practically no side-effects, |
| Unfortunately, everyone in our neighborhood only | | | | meant that I could have been slathering the pulp |
| used it for cuts and scrapes. For some weird | | | | on to my face three or four times a day. |
| reason, no one ever thought of using it for acne. | | | | How would this have helped me? |
| Now, twenty years older and wiser, using aloe | | | | - The aloe vera would reduce the inflammation of |
| vera for acne treatment sounds so logical and | | | | the pimples and promote healing. There would be |
| natural. | | | | less scarring. |
| Aloe vera first made inroads into the medical | | | | - There would be fewer pimples. Pimples come |
| establishment in the mid-1930s, when it was used | | | | from whiteheads and blackheads which become |
| for burn treatments. It showed itself to be very | | | | infected and inflamed. The aloe vera would reduce |
| effective in reducing inflammation and healing of | | | | this inflammation and reduce the chance of |
| wounds. As I understand it, the main reason its | | | | whiteheads and blackheads turning into pimples. |
| popularity waned was due to the widespread | | | | - Reduce whiteheads and blackheads. Both of |
| availability of cheap antibiotics (penicilin, discovered | | | | these problems tend to arise when your skin |
| by Fleming in 1928, was only mass manufactured | | | | becomes irritated. Aloe vera soothes the skin and |
| one decade later in the late 1930s), which doctors | | | | would help to reduce the likelihood of whiteheads |
| probably preferred as being more scientific. | | | | and blackheads appearing. |
| When I first started suffering from severe | | | | Aloe vera is easy to use. Just take the leaf and |
| teenage acne, my parents took me to a skin | | | | squeeze the juice and pulp onto your pimples. If |
| specialist. The acne treatment he prescribed | | | | you want more convenience, you can pulp the |
| worked -- a combination of creams and an | | | | entire leaf in a blender. Store the pulp into an |
| antibiotic. Unfortunately, the antibiotics had severe | | | | air-tight container in your refrigerator and it is |
| side-effects, making me nauseous and causing me | | | | ready for use anytime. Nowadays, you do not |
| gastric problems. He then switched me to another | | | | need to grow your own aloe vera plants. You can |
| antibiotic with lesser side-effects, but also less | | | | buy the cheap gels, creams and lotions from the |
| effectiveness. In the end, I could not tolerate this | | | | pharmacy or local convenience store. Of course, |
| state of affairs and dropped the entire idea of | | | | you do need to check the ingredients. After all, |
| medical treatment for my acne. | | | | commercially produced aloe vera products need |
| If only I had thought of using aloe vera for my | | | | to be placed in some kind of medium, and the |
| teenage acne treatment, I would be so much | | | | extra additives like preservatives and scents may |
| better off today. Would it have cured my acne? | | | | not agree with you. |
| No, I seriously doubt it. My teenage acne was too | | | | |