Efficacy and safety of natural Aloe Vera gel in the treatment of stable vitiligo

Background: Vitiligo is a condition that causes a patchy loss of skin pigmentation. The Aloe Vera plant has been used to treat a wide range of ailments, including skin diseases; however, little is known about its effectiveness in vitiligo. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of natura...

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Main Authors: Somanaboina Padmakar, G. Ajay Kumar, Navneet Khurana, Sweta Kumari, Biplab Pal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-07-01
Series:Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213398423001197
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author Somanaboina Padmakar
G. Ajay Kumar
Navneet Khurana
Sweta Kumari
Biplab Pal
author_facet Somanaboina Padmakar
G. Ajay Kumar
Navneet Khurana
Sweta Kumari
Biplab Pal
author_sort Somanaboina Padmakar
collection DOAJ
description Background: Vitiligo is a condition that causes a patchy loss of skin pigmentation. The Aloe Vera plant has been used to treat a wide range of ailments, including skin diseases; however, little is known about its effectiveness in vitiligo. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of natural Aloe Vera in stable vitiligo. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted on vitiligo patients who recommended natural Aloe Vera between July 2021 and August 2022. All patients were advised to apply natural Aloe Vera leaf pulp thrice daily for 6 months, along with sunlight exposure. Efficacy was measured as the proportion of patients achieving ≥75% re-pigmentation of the target lesion at the end of 24 weeks, which constituted a ''good response,'' while 50% or higher re-pigmentation constituted a ''better response.'' The extent of re-pigmentation was assessed as per the protocol and graded from 0 to 5. Safety was assessed as the proportion of patients reporting ≥1 adverse event at 24 weeks. Results: The results revealed that 19 (86.3%) patients responded positively after receiving 3 months of treatment: 4 patients repigmented 50–74%, 8 patients repigmented 25–49%, 7 patients repigmented 1–24%, and 3 patients didn't repigment at all. After completion of 6 months of therapy, 3 patients repigmented 75–99%, 4 patients repigmented 50–74%, 10 patients repigmented 25–49%, 2 patients repigmented 1–24%, and 3 patients didn't show any change in re-pigmentation. Only 2 (9%) patients showed 90% re-pigmentation (grade 6) at the end of the study. Stinging or burning sensations and pruritus were experienced by 3 patients within the first week of treatment. Conclusion: Natural Aloe Vera was found to be safe and fairly effective in the treatment of stable vitiligo. However, randomized controlled trials with larger sample size are recommended to verify the efficacy and safety of Aloe Vera in the treatment of vitiligo.
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spelling doaj.art-d11caee51c0f49c5816ee47df0b73b132023-08-05T05:15:56ZengElsevierClinical Epidemiology and Global Health2213-39842023-07-0122101332Efficacy and safety of natural Aloe Vera gel in the treatment of stable vitiligoSomanaboina Padmakar0G. Ajay Kumar1Navneet Khurana2Sweta Kumari3Biplab Pal4School of Pharmaceutical Science, Department of Pharmacology, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, 144001, IndiaDepartment of Dermatology, Venerology and Leprology, Government Medical College (RIMS), Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, 516002, IndiaSchool of Pharmaceutical Science, Department of Pharmacology, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, 144001, IndiaSchool of Pharmaceutical Science, Department of Pharmacology, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, 144001, IndiaSchool of Pharmaceutical Science, Department of Pharmacology, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, 144001, India; Corresponding author. Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India.Background: Vitiligo is a condition that causes a patchy loss of skin pigmentation. The Aloe Vera plant has been used to treat a wide range of ailments, including skin diseases; however, little is known about its effectiveness in vitiligo. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of natural Aloe Vera in stable vitiligo. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted on vitiligo patients who recommended natural Aloe Vera between July 2021 and August 2022. All patients were advised to apply natural Aloe Vera leaf pulp thrice daily for 6 months, along with sunlight exposure. Efficacy was measured as the proportion of patients achieving ≥75% re-pigmentation of the target lesion at the end of 24 weeks, which constituted a ''good response,'' while 50% or higher re-pigmentation constituted a ''better response.'' The extent of re-pigmentation was assessed as per the protocol and graded from 0 to 5. Safety was assessed as the proportion of patients reporting ≥1 adverse event at 24 weeks. Results: The results revealed that 19 (86.3%) patients responded positively after receiving 3 months of treatment: 4 patients repigmented 50–74%, 8 patients repigmented 25–49%, 7 patients repigmented 1–24%, and 3 patients didn't repigment at all. After completion of 6 months of therapy, 3 patients repigmented 75–99%, 4 patients repigmented 50–74%, 10 patients repigmented 25–49%, 2 patients repigmented 1–24%, and 3 patients didn't show any change in re-pigmentation. Only 2 (9%) patients showed 90% re-pigmentation (grade 6) at the end of the study. Stinging or burning sensations and pruritus were experienced by 3 patients within the first week of treatment. Conclusion: Natural Aloe Vera was found to be safe and fairly effective in the treatment of stable vitiligo. However, randomized controlled trials with larger sample size are recommended to verify the efficacy and safety of Aloe Vera in the treatment of vitiligo.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213398423001197Aloe veraEfficacyVitiligo
spellingShingle Somanaboina Padmakar
G. Ajay Kumar
Navneet Khurana
Sweta Kumari
Biplab Pal
Efficacy and safety of natural Aloe Vera gel in the treatment of stable vitiligo
Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health
Aloe vera
Efficacy
Vitiligo
title Efficacy and safety of natural Aloe Vera gel in the treatment of stable vitiligo
title_full Efficacy and safety of natural Aloe Vera gel in the treatment of stable vitiligo
title_fullStr Efficacy and safety of natural Aloe Vera gel in the treatment of stable vitiligo
title_full_unstemmed Efficacy and safety of natural Aloe Vera gel in the treatment of stable vitiligo
title_short Efficacy and safety of natural Aloe Vera gel in the treatment of stable vitiligo
title_sort efficacy and safety of natural aloe vera gel in the treatment of stable vitiligo
topic Aloe vera
Efficacy
Vitiligo
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213398423001197
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