The Stimulation of Postdermabrasion Wound Healing with Stabilized Aloe Vera Gel‐Polyethylene Oxide Dressing

Abstract

Full-face dermabrasion provided an ideal opportunity to document the effects of dressings on wound healing management. Following the procedure, the abraded face was divided in half. One side was treated with the standard polyethylene oxide gel wound dressings. The other side was treated with a polyethylene oxide gel dressing saturated with stabilized aloe vera. The polyethylene oxide dressing provided an excellent matrix for the release of aloe vera gel during the initial 5 days of wound healing. By 24-48 hours there was dramatic vasoconstriction and accompanying reduction in edema on the aloe-treated side. By the third to fourth day there was less exudate and crusting at the aloe site, and by the fifth to sixth day the reepithelialization at the aloe site was complete. Overall, wound healing was approximately 72 hours faster at the aloe site. This acceleration in wound healing is important to reduce bacterial contamination, subsequent keloid formation, and/or pigmentary changes. The exact mechanism of acceleration of wound healing by aloe vera is unknown.

Therapeutic and Medicinal Uses of <i>Aloe vera</i>: A Review

“…The Aloe gel has been used for the treatment of radiation burns and radiation ulcers [36], and complete healing has been observed in two radiation burns patients [7]. The fresh gel was more effective than the cream [7,37] as Aloe gel-treated lesions healed faster (11.8 days) compared to burns treated with petroleum jelly gauze (18.2 days) by Fulton [38]. The 27 patients with partial thickness burns have been treated with Aloe gel in a placebo-controlled study [39].…”

TRAMIL ethnopharmalogical survey in Les Saintes (Guadeloupe, French West Indies): A comparative study

“…-The topical application of gel leaf of Aloe vera (L.) Burm. used for little wounds (Lushbaugh and Hale, 1953;Rovatti and Brennan, 1959;Dhar et al, 1968;Bhakuni et al, 1971;Cobble, 1975;Northway, 1975;Davis et al, 1986Davis et al, , 1989Davis et al, , 1994aFulton, 1990;Syed et al, 1996) is a common TRAMIL plant use in Barbados (Faujour et al, 2003), Tobago (Delaigue, 2005) and Marie-Galante (Guadeloupe FWI) (Balz et al, 2007). -The decoction of Chenopodium ambroisioides L. fresh leaves to treat intestinal parasites (Bliss, 1925;Fernan-Nunez, 1927;Butz and La Lande, 1937;Opdyke, 1976;Feroz et al, 1982;Kliks, 1985;Bourgeois et al, 1989;Canigueral et al, 2002) is also used commonly in Haiti (Weniger and Rouzier, 1986), Honduras (Lagos-Witte, 1988-89, 1996, Nicaragua (Sotomayor and Rueda, 1990), Venezuela (Delens, 1990-92), Martinique (Longuefosse and Nossin, 1990-95), Colombia (Herrera, 1994;Gomez et al, 2003), Mexico (Mendez et al, 1996), Panama (Solis et al, 2003) and Tobago (Delaigue, 2005).…”

Study on the assessment of plants/herbs, plant/herb extracts and their naturally or synthetically produced components as ‘additives’ for use in animal production

“…Externally, the gel has been used in many ways: cosmetics, dermabrasion, wound-healing, and psoriasis (Fulton, 1990;Heggers et al, 1993;McCauley et al, 1990;Syed et al, 1996). In cosmetics, the gel is added to moisturizers, cleansers, shampoos, suntan lotions, and sunburn treatments (Bruneton, 1994;Grindlay and Reynolds, 1986).…”

“…In a study that compared aloe to polyethylene oxide gel dressing in the treatment of patients with dermabrasion (surgery to remove tattoos, acne, scars, and wrinkles), aloe accelerated healing by 72 hours (Fulton, 1990). The wounds of patients recovering from burns, frostbite, and intra-arterial drug abuse healed faster, had less tissue loss or morbidity, and fewer complications than those patients treated with conventional methods.…”