Page 18 - Florida Sentinel 4-26-19

Health
• Cold Sores
• Acne
Research suggests that aloe gel may help clear up acne if you use it twice daily along with the prescription acne cream tretinoin (sold as Atralin, Retin- A, and others). In a separate study, doctors applied a stan- dard 2-day wound-healing cream to a group of people after full-face dermabrasion, an acne treatment that sands the skin. When they added aloe to the cream on one side of the face, it healed much more quickly.
• Burns
Here’s an area where aloe re- ally seems to shine. A number of studies show that aloe ointments and creams can help burns, in- cluding sunburns, heal more quickly. Some substances in the aloe ease swelling and speed up healing, and others help your body repair the skin. But you need to see a doctor for:
• A serious burn
• A widespread burn
• Any burn that looks in-
fected
• A burn that takes a long
time to heal
Aloe vera has been used for cen- turies as a healing plant.
Here are a few of the health bene- fits aloe vera offers for skin.
• Wounds
Aloe vera is a time-honored treatment. Alexander the Great used the clear gel-like sap in the middle of its leaves to heal his wounded soldiers’ wounds. And while there’s some evidence it can help some types of wounds, it may delay healing in others. Talk to your doctor about whether aloe products are right for your injury.
The research is still early on this, but some of it shows aloe might help slow the growth of the virus that cause cold sores. Aloe extract cream may also help cold sores heal faster.
• Psoriasis
Aloe extract cream seems to help some people with the dry, scaly, itchy, or painful skin it that comes with psoriasis. But aloe vera gel doesn’t seem to have the same effect, so ask your doctor if aloe cream could help you manage your psoriasis.
PAGE 6-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2019