Aloe Vera
Benefits For Skin
Aloe Vera
Benefits for Skin
What is
Aloe Vera?
Of course, it's highly unlikely that anyone is going to carry around a plant to extract this gel from whenever they need it. So, helpfully, there are many products available such as lotions, topical creams and lip balms which deliver the same great properties and aloe vera benefits for skin.
Is Aloe Vera good
for Skin?
Aloe vera has many benefits for skin, provided that you don't have a sensitivity to it or a skin condition that is easily aggravated. It has many uses for a range of different concerns.
If you've spent too much time in the sun and your skin is burnt, this can be very painful. The anti-inflammatory properties of aloe vera can help to soothe the skin, and it also helps to moisturise – which is especially useful if your skin has been peeling as a result of the sunburn.
Whether your skin has been burnt, cut or injured in some other way, aloe vera has long been known as a great treatment for helping to repair the skin. Research suggests that the naturally occurring chemicals in aloe gel help stimulate new skin growth, which helps wounds heal more quickly than they otherwise would.
As we age, our skin loses collagen. Collagen is the component that helps our skin to feel full and plump, so as our body produces less of it we become more prone to wrinkles.
Aloe vera can help to combat this, as it contains something called sterol, which encourages the body to produce collagen and hyaluronic acid, helping to keep the skin moisturised. It won't stop wrinkles altogether, but it can significantly improve overall skin texture.
Sometimes, the dark circles under our eyes or blemishes on the skin can be caused by the skin being dehydrated.
Everyone experiences dry skin from time to time. Whether it's simply that you've forgotten to use your daily moisturiser or you have patches of dry skin on the body (such as with Eczema), aloe vera can quickly help remedy the issue.
To help prevent dry skin from appearing in the first place, it's best to keep the body moisturised daily. Aloe vera moisturisers such as the NIVEA Naturally Good Aloe Vera Body Lotion help hydrate the skin quickly and keep it moisturised for up to 48 hours.
Whether you've been chewing your lips or they've become chapped due to cold, wintery weather, dry lips can be quite irritating. Moisturising the lips requires care, as the skin on the lips is different to the rest of your body.
The NIVEA 2-in-1 Caring Lip Scrub with Aloe Vera gently exfoliates the lips to remove dry skin, while the aloe vera works to replace any moisture lost to leave you with soft, smooth lips.
Day to day, we put our hands through a lot. Without proper care, the skin on our hands and fingers can become dry and cracked, which can be very painful!
To keep your hands soft and supple, using a nourishing cream designed just for the hands can really help to keep them in top condition. For example, the NIVEA Soothing Care Aloe Vera Hand Cream keeps your hands moisturised for up to 24 hours, and it also absorbs quickly so that you can apply it while you're on the go.
How to use
Aloe Vera on Face
Similar to using aloe vera elsewhere on the body, you can also use aloe vera on the face. You might think that the intense moisturising properties of aloe vera might be too much for facial skin, but used sparingly it can be a fantastic way of targeting problem areas on the face such as:
- Eczema (atopic dermatitis)
- Rosacea
- Acne
- Sun damaged skin
If you're dealing with a chronic skin condition, it's a good idea to check with your dermatologist before applying any products to your face. While aloe vera is a gentle remedy, sensitive skin can still have a reaction to it, so it's best to check beforehand to ensure that you're not going to further aggravate your skin.
Does Aloe Vera
Help Acne?
If you've been looking into acne treatment, it's likely that you may already have come across numerous products that contain aloe vera. In fact, many over-the-counter acne treatments and creams contain it, and it can also be used in anti-acne medication and ingested orally.
This is because aloe vera has been proven to help clear acne. Exactly why it works isn't quite known, with some believing that aloe vera has the power to help heal the skin from within rather than just on the surface, as lots of topical creams do. With that said, there also isn't much research to suggest that aloe vera can help severe acne, only mild to moderate cases.
As acne is a very particular type of skin condition (caused when the hair follicles on the skin become blocked), it's best to check in with a dermatologist or doctor before you begin using aloe vera for acne, or changing your skincare routine at all.
