4 Skin Benefits of Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is a prickly succulent that you might want to add to your skincare routine or to your living room decor. The plant itself helps clean the air of formaldehyde and benzene. The clear gel inside of aloe leaves has 96% water, Vitamin A, B, C, and E and a protein that has 18 out of the 20 amino acids naturally found in the human body.
If you have a plant at home and happen to get a burn or a bug bite, you can cut off a section of a leaf and coat it with the clear gel inside to stop the pain and help your burn or bite heal faster. Aloe is great for the skin, but no one has the time to cut off a section of a leaf everyday to rub on their face. Using a product with aloe in it is easier and saves time.
1) It moisturizes skin without making it greasy, so it is great for people with oily skin as well. Due to the moisturizing nature of aloe and the vitamin B, C, and E, it leaves the skin looking brighter and more vibrant.
2) Aloe helps heals wounds faster and reduces the chances of scarring. Most people apply aloe gel to sunburns to decrease the pain and accelerate healing time. Aloe gel contains a pain reliever called carboxypeptidase. It also contains a compound called acemannan which helps suppress inflammation. People with eczema, psoriasis, and other skin inflammatory conditions benefit greatly by using aloe.
Not only is this great for scrapes, burns, and bug bites, but also for acne. Acne is an inflammatory bacterial infection of the skin. Aloe is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and contains salicylic acid making is a great choice to help clear up pimples and blackheads. Aloe contains polysaccharides that help it enter the skin as much as 4 times faster than water and that help new cells generate faster.
3) Aloe has been proven to slow signs of aging as well. It stimulates fibroblast activity which increases collagen and elastin fiber production. Collagen and elastin fibers are the structural proteins in your skin that keep it plump looking. When they break or weaken, the skin wrinkles and sags, so strengthening the structural proteins in the skin will help your skin be more elastic. Zinc found in aloe helps tighten pores as well.
4) The Vitamin C and E are antioxidants which help fight free radicals. Free radicals break down collagen faster by stealing electrons. Structural fibers losing pieces means they will break down and your skin will sag or wrinkle. Think of your skin like a brick building in a way. If something comes by and keeps stealing bricks, the walls will cave in eventually. Preventing free-radical (the brick stealers in the aforementioned metaphor) damage with antioxidants is crucial. Aloe prevents the enzyme responsible for skin discoloration, tyrosinase, which means it can also prevent and may even fade dark spots.
Do you use aloe in your skincare routine?