There is a huge billion-pound industry worldwide based on avoiding or slowing down the ageing process. Beauty products that promise to reduce wrinkles and leave your skin looking youthful and hydrated, for example, are immensely popular – and can cost a small fortune.
On top of this, in recent years controversial cosmetic procedures such as Botox injections have become more and more commonplace.
While some of these methods might produce the results people are after, they are not the only option when it comes to staving off the effects of ageing.
In fact, one natural ingredient could actually help banish wrinkles just as well, if not better, than some fancy moisturisers.
Experts have hailed the use of the plant aloe vera in helping to protect and rejuvenate skin.
It is already widely known that aloe vera can be used to help soothe and heal skin that has been burnt.
For this reason it is often used in gel form to tackle mild burns caused by heat as well as sunburn. It is also used to help treat dry skin and eczema.
Two scientific papers have championed the use of aloe vera to “significantly” reduce the appearance of wrinkles on skin.
One, a study published in the Annals of Dermatology in 2009, found that consuming aloe vera gel could smooth skin.
More specifically, the team concluded that taking a daily aloe vera gel supplement significantly reduced the appearance of wrinkles in just 90 days.
As part of the research, 30 healthy women over the age of 45 were given two different doses of aloe vera gel for 90 days.
One group was given a low dose (1,200 mg a day) and the other received a high-dose (3,600 mg a day).
Prior to and at the end of the experiment, their wrinkles and facial elasticity were measured while skin samples were also taken.
It concluded: “Aloe gel significantly improves wrinkles and elasticity in photoaged human skin, with an increase in collagen production in the photoprotected skin and a decrease in the collagen-degrading MMP-1 gene expression.”
Collagen is a protein responsible for healthy joints and skin elasticity or stretchiness.
A separate study from 2015, found that applying aloe gel to the skin significantly reduced the appearance of wrinkles as well as boosting collagen levels.
Published in the Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology journal, scientists investigated the effect of intake of aloe vera gel powder (AVGP) on the skin conditions in Japanese women with dry skin.
It found that the women consuming the powder saw a huge increase in production of collagen – by two-fold.
“An increase in arm skin hydration was observed at eight weeks in the AVGP group, whereas a slight decrease in arm skin hydration was noted in the placebo group,” the study said.
“However, there was no statistical difference between AVGP and placebo groups in skin moisture.
“In subgroup analysis, the change in the mean wrinkle depth was significantly lower in the AVGP group than in the control group.”
