ALOE VERA IN THE TREATMENT OF ROENTGEN ULCERS AND TELANGIECTASIS

Abstract

The use of the fresh whole leaf of aloe vera in the treatment of roentgen dermatitis was suggested by C. E. and Creston Collins.¹Early in 1935 they reported the case of a woman, aged 31, who had had a severe roentgen dermatitis of the left forehead following a depilating roentgen treatment. Various local treatments were tried without effect, and exfoliation and severe itching persisted at the treated site. The patient received a local application of the fresh whole leaf of aloe vera to allay the itching. Within twenty-four hours the sensation of itching and burning subsided and the condition progressively improved within the next five weeks and showed "complete regeneration of skin of the forehead and scalp, new hair growth, complete restoration of sensation, and absence of scars." Radiation sequelae have been classified by Wise and Sulzberger²as "(1) pigmentation, (2) telangiectasis, (3) sclerosis, (4) keratoses, (5)