Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

Greetings,

I have had persistent problems with acne, inflamed by harsh lifestyle of forest monk and tropical sun and humidity in Thailand. I have treated my self with antibiotics when the acne has gotten out of control.

Few days ago somebody gave me Aloe Vera moisturizer and it seems to have healed my acne nearly 100%. As good as antibiotics, but less straining for the body, for sure...

The scientific evidence on the medicinal uses of Aloe Vera seem contradictory, at least by quikly reading Wikipedia. There seems to be plenty of information on treating acne with Aloe Vera, so this is no news.

Anuway I am happy.

For some reason I was blessed with an acne-free face as a teenager, but I know many of my friends who were not so lucky (or kammically rewarded, perhaps ) loved aloe vera for their faces. Is it easy to find in Thailand? I have no idea where it naturally grows.

Glad to see your problem has been solved!

Bhante, is it possible that the aloe vera gel contained alcohol? I know a lot of the stuff I bought in Thailand contained the stuff and this could have dried out the acne...don't know just a thought.

Dear Ven. Thanavuddho,

thanks for sharing and you might find maybe more infos here: Medicinal Plants - Allowed Medicine

LonesomeYogurt wrote:Is it easy to find in Thailand? I have no idea where it naturally grows.

They are somehow gardening plants (here in Cambodia, I guess in Thailand as well) so in front of nearly every house even if no more that used, some (older and aware) still use the flesh of the leaves as jelly for drinks and sweets dishes.

Khalil Bodhi wrote:Bhante, is it possible that the aloe vera gel contained alcohol? I know a lot of the stuff I bought in Thailand contained the stuff and this could have dried out the acne...don't know just a thought.

I'm pretty sure that monks can use alcohol for medicinal purposes - after all, I think even consumption is allowed if a doctor prescribes it. I might be wrong on that, but I still think alcohol is allowed for topical application.

Hanzze wrote:Dear Ven. Thanavuddho,

thanks for sharing and you might find maybe more infos here: Medicinal Plants - Allowed Medicine

[attachment=0]Medical plants 382.jpg[/attachmet

Good info, Henzze. Like the book in the picture says, aloe vera is used in skincare lotions.

Khalil Bodhi wrote:Bhante, is it possible that the aloe vera gel contained alcohol? I know a lot of the stuff I bought in Thailand contained the stuff and this could have dried out the acne...don't know just a thought.

Khalil,

I checked the others ingredients in the gel. As far as I understood, they where cemicals for the purpose of making it into a gel. No alcohol.

I do use alcohol in my regular skincare routine, as an antiseptic to clean acne wounds, for example. I also use it in many other cleaning purposes, as it is readily available in monasteries. 

I don't drink it, unless it is a solvent in a medicine or something like that....

I did take Albendazole few days also. It is a anti-parasite medicine, but i did not find any information connecting it to acne. I cannot rule out a connection, as I did take it at the same time as I took Aloe Vera.

LonesomeYogurt wrote:For some reason I was blessed with an acne-free face as a teenager,.

Glad to see your problem has been solved!

Yes, one less problem.

It is a common misconception that acne only affects teenagers. I am not saying that you have this misconception, I am only mentioning it 

I have diagnosed my self of possibly also having a case of rosacnea that makes my nose red sometimes. This is the same form of acne that the famous businessman J.P. Morgan had. He refused to take medication for it, and the disease gor very bad.

Dear Ven. Thanavuddho,

Form my experiances, its mostly the food. Special in SEAasia, we easily tend to sweets (even Coke, red Bull and such things) because the clima is very power privative. Maybe you might find some solutions in regard of this.

The pimples are often the sweetlover. (I guess such things like chees, butter and mayo are not so common, or are they?)
The high dose of dust in SEA countries might be also a additional reason, so simply often washing the face might also help.

Thanavuddho wrote:Greetings,

I have had persistent problems with acne, inflamed by harsh lifestyle of forest monk and tropical sun and humidity in Thailand. I have treated my self with antibiotics when the acne has gotten out of control.

Few days ago somebody gave me Aloe Vera moisturizer and it seems to have healed my acne nearly 100%. As good as antibiotics, but less straining for the body, for sure...

Anuway I am happy.

Aloe Vera grows like a weed in Thailand, I have one in a pot You could try making your own cosmetics. Aloe Vera and witch hazel and traditional remedies. You probably can't get the latter.

Graham

Hanzze wrote:Dear Ven. Thanavuddho,

Form my experiances, its mostly the food. Special in SEAasia, we easily tend to sweets (even Coke, red Bull and such things) because the clima is very power privative. Maybe you might find some solutions in regard of this.

Over the years I have heard many, many different theories about the cause of acne. Theories ranging from different kinds of food to kilesas in my mind.

Most of the time in my adult days I have been able to keep the acne under control. But when I came to Thailand and ordained, it flared up on me. I started taking Isotretinoin. Then I moved to stay with people who are into herbal medicine, so discontinued the drug.

And the acne flared up again. I had to put up a fight. I did research in the Internet about acne and used that knowledge to treat the disease. I used information from acne.org website, but not the products they sell.

By this regimen I was able to make the disease abate most of the time. One day I found some abandoned antibiotics for treating malaria. I discovered that they can be used to treat acne and rosacea as well. Taking 100mg once a day, for only 2-3 days, cleared the acne almost 100%.

Whenever the acne got out of control, I administered 2-3 days of Doxycycline. That is, until I discovered Aloe Vera. I have been Doxycycline free ever since.

This is beginning to sound like commercial. I don't mind doing it for stuff like Aloe Vera...

Update,

Condition of my skin continues to be as good as it has ever been. I have used almost two tubes of Aloe Vera gel. I maintain that it is the primal cause to my unprecedented skin health.

Only time will tell. I don't want to stop using Aloe Vera in order to prove my theory, because I don't want my skin to inflame again.

GraemeR wrote: Aloe Vera grows like a weed in Thailand, I have one in a pot You could try making your own cosmetics. Aloe Vera and witch hazel and traditional remedies. You probably can't get the latter.

Graham

This is a good idea because I use a lot.

it's surprising that there is no scientific evidence to confirm that aloe vera helps acne, but it really does! I also use aloe vera but I grow the plant at home, make the gel ( guess it's just more natural) and apply it on my face every evening, usually mixing with either honey or rose water, I mix it with other ingredients because I don't like how aloe vera smells. Anyway I can't say that it heals my acne 100%, but its much much better than before.

Aloe Vera gel is amazing stuff. A few years ago I had shingles. The new generation of anti-virals was by then available and I took them gratefully and probably shortened the episode considerably...But Aloe Vera was extremely effective when applied to the lesions. Each application gave a hour or so's relief from the burning sensation.
It can also help with digestive problems when diluted. I would recommend buying it ready mixed in order to be sure of the proportions and sterility of the mixture.