Dietary Aloe Vera Supplementation Improves Facial Wrinkles and Elasticity and It Increases the Type I Procollagen Gene Expression in Human Skin in vivo.
BACKGROUND
No studies have yet been undertaken to determine the effect of aloe gel on the clinical signs and biochemical changes of aging skin.


OBJECTIVE
We wanted to determine whether dietary aloe vera gel has anti-aging properties on the skin.


METHODS
Thirty healthy female subjects over the age of 45 were recruited and they received 2 different doses (low-dose: 1,200 mg/d, high-dose: 3,600 mg/d) of aloe vera gel supplementation for 90 days. Their baseline status was used as a control. At baseline and at completion of the study, facial wrinkles were measured using a skin replica, and facial elasticity was measured by an in vivo suction skin elasticity meter. Skin samples were taken before and after aloe intake to compare the type I procollagen and matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) mRNA levels by performing real-time RT-PCR.


RESULTS
After aloe gel intake, the facial wrinkles improved significantly (p<0.05) in both groups, and facial elasticity improved in the lower-dose group. In the photoprotected skin, the type I procollagen mRNA levels were increased in both groups, albeit without significance; the MMP-1 mRNA levels were significantly decreased in the higher-dose group. Type I procollagen immunostaining was substantially increased throughout the dermis in both groups.


CONCLUSIONS
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. However, no dose-response relationship was found between the low-dose and high-dose groups.
Cho
Soyun
S
Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University Boramae Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Lee
Serah
S
Lee
Min-Jung
MJ
Lee
Dong Hun
DH
Won
Chong-Hyun
CH
Kim
Sang Min
SM
Chung
Jin Ho
JH