Aloe Vera - it has earned the global reputation as "the potted physician".
For centuries, aloe and aloe products have been widely used for their amazing healing properties, particularly for burns, sunburns and many skin irritations.
But just about a few decades ago, holistic beauty specialists began using aloe for aesthetic treatments because of its unique ability to stimulate skin cell renewal.
And until recently, both user and specialist have simply relied on results as no one knew how exactly it worked.
With the growing inclination to choose natural-based products over chemically derived preparations for medicinal and treatment purposes, scientific studies have been conducted to find out the cell proliferating properties of aloe vera.
Dr.
Ivan E.
Danhof, M.
D.
-Ph.
D.
, president of the North Texas Research Laboratories, has piloted a number of studies on the various benefits of aloe on skin care and skin treatments.
Danhof, more popularly known as the "Father of Aloe", is widely acclaimed as one of the world's foremost experts on medically active herbal molecules, and in particular the functional components of the aloe plant.
Danhof discovered that the interior gel from the aloe vera plant was found to stimulate the production of human fibroblast cells sixty to eighty percent faster than normal cell production.
Fibroblast cells are responsible for the production of collagen which is the supporting protein of the skin.
The cells are located on the dermis of the skin and with constant sun exposure or as a result of normal aging, fibroblasts slow down their collagen production.
As aging progresses, collagen quality is inevitably diminished and wrinkles become more prominent.
Danhof discovered that apart from improving fibroblast cell integrity, aloe gel also accelerated collagen production.
So what is it in aloe that provides its capacity to influence fibroblast cells and collagen production? No definite answer has been arrived at as of yet, but sugar-like substances called polysaccharides are known to have some positive effects on the aging process.
Polysaccharides have the great ability to hold and bind moisture and may reorganize epidermal cells on the upper layer of the stratum comeum, which is the skin's protective surface barrier.
Cells in this uppermost region loosen as we age, so water escapes more easily.
As a result, skin cells don't mature properly and allow bacteria and other toxins to gain entry.
These result in dry, scaly and sometimes itchy skin that usually comes with ageing.
By tightening the epidermal cells, aloe restores the protective barrier and complexion becomes younger-looking.
Danhof also found proof that aloe gel's ability to penetrate was four times faster than that of water in a separate study.
This was quite an interesting fact since water seems quite easy to absorb and aloe gel is 99.
5 percent water.
Yet a mere half percent of another component serves as a super penetrator, enabling moisture in aloe to seep into the underlying skin layers which water cannot penetrate.
The skin is the largest organ of the body.
It is also our front line defense against harmful elements and irritants in our environment.
We should be giving it the best protection and reinforcement.
Primarily used as a natural remedy to soothe skin irritations, aloe is our best defense against skin conditions associated with ageing.
Uniquely designed and formulated products containing aloe work to protect, moisturize and provide the essential nutrients and vitamins needed by our skin.
For centuries, aloe and aloe products have been widely used for their amazing healing properties, particularly for burns, sunburns and many skin irritations.
But just about a few decades ago, holistic beauty specialists began using aloe for aesthetic treatments because of its unique ability to stimulate skin cell renewal.
And until recently, both user and specialist have simply relied on results as no one knew how exactly it worked.
With the growing inclination to choose natural-based products over chemically derived preparations for medicinal and treatment purposes, scientific studies have been conducted to find out the cell proliferating properties of aloe vera.
Dr.
Ivan E.
Danhof, M.
D.
-Ph.
D.
, president of the North Texas Research Laboratories, has piloted a number of studies on the various benefits of aloe on skin care and skin treatments.
Danhof, more popularly known as the "Father of Aloe", is widely acclaimed as one of the world's foremost experts on medically active herbal molecules, and in particular the functional components of the aloe plant.
Danhof discovered that the interior gel from the aloe vera plant was found to stimulate the production of human fibroblast cells sixty to eighty percent faster than normal cell production.
Fibroblast cells are responsible for the production of collagen which is the supporting protein of the skin.
The cells are located on the dermis of the skin and with constant sun exposure or as a result of normal aging, fibroblasts slow down their collagen production.
As aging progresses, collagen quality is inevitably diminished and wrinkles become more prominent.
Danhof discovered that apart from improving fibroblast cell integrity, aloe gel also accelerated collagen production.
So what is it in aloe that provides its capacity to influence fibroblast cells and collagen production? No definite answer has been arrived at as of yet, but sugar-like substances called polysaccharides are known to have some positive effects on the aging process.
Polysaccharides have the great ability to hold and bind moisture and may reorganize epidermal cells on the upper layer of the stratum comeum, which is the skin's protective surface barrier.
Cells in this uppermost region loosen as we age, so water escapes more easily.
As a result, skin cells don't mature properly and allow bacteria and other toxins to gain entry.
These result in dry, scaly and sometimes itchy skin that usually comes with ageing.
By tightening the epidermal cells, aloe restores the protective barrier and complexion becomes younger-looking.
Danhof also found proof that aloe gel's ability to penetrate was four times faster than that of water in a separate study.
This was quite an interesting fact since water seems quite easy to absorb and aloe gel is 99.
5 percent water.
Yet a mere half percent of another component serves as a super penetrator, enabling moisture in aloe to seep into the underlying skin layers which water cannot penetrate.
The skin is the largest organ of the body.
It is also our front line defense against harmful elements and irritants in our environment.
We should be giving it the best protection and reinforcement.
Primarily used as a natural remedy to soothe skin irritations, aloe is our best defense against skin conditions associated with ageing.
Uniquely designed and formulated products containing aloe work to protect, moisturize and provide the essential nutrients and vitamins needed by our skin.