Where can I find Aloe (the plant)?

Piffken

My Radiaton Onco said it works wonders for skin that has been, or is being radiated. She told me today that skin irritations  she normally sees in the 2nd or 3rd week are delayed until almost the last week of treatment and the after effects are much easier on the skin.

Unfortunately, she did not know where to purchase the plant, does anyone know? She tells me it would be great in place of any kind of lotion, with the exception of one specific kind that comes in a very small bottle and has to be ordered by calling a 1-800 number which sells products specifically for radiation patients. it can be over $60 for a small bottle and still, the actual plant works better.

Has anyone tried this and what did you think? Thanks. Piffken 

AnnNYC

Piffken, in New York, big aloe leaves are sold at fruit and vegetable stands.  I'm not sure where you live in Florida, but a vegetable market where people of Caribbean background shop would be likely to have it.  Otherwise, you can order a plant on Amazon.com.

dlb823

Piffken ~ Why mess with a plant when you can buy 100% aloe vera gel very inexpensively in most drugstores?   I'm all for doing things as naturally as possible, but getting the gel from the plant is messy and a bit of a hassle. 

Another thing that works great on radiated skin is emu oil.  Most natural foods stores or health foods store carry it.  Just be sure to get a brand that's extra refined, with no grittiness to it.  It costs about $15 a bottle and I thought it was even more healing than aloe vera gel, which is what I started out using until someone told me about emu oil.

Good luck with rads!    Deanna  

gfbaker

Deanna is right, the gel is easy to buy and it does work well. I started using it even before I had any treatments and it kept me at a mild pink and no bad burns. Just make sure to get the 100% gel with no dyes or scents added (it doesn't smell bad at all).

sheila888

Every Nurseries sell them if you want the plant.

Or like Ann said fruit and vegetable stores sell them as a big leaf size.

3monstmama

I used to have an aloe plant and used it on burns.  Its not that difficult---you break off a leaf, spilt it open and rub it on your skin.

That said, for rads you will need a lot because you are applying it many times a day which means a big plant and when I see them in the stores ---garden stores, Trader Joes--they are usually not that big. 

You can find pure aloe in a food coop or natural foods store.  I would be careful with the emu oil---I know it is very good but my doctors told me not to use any oil on my skin except maybe on weekends [even calendula oil and I was using calendula creme] because oil could intensify the radiation affects.  So be sure to check with your doctor before you try anything beyond what they have recommended.

Binney4

Piffken, where I live (AZ) aloe is a weed, so I used it during rads and it was truly amazing. I've never tried the pure aloe gel, but I know some rad oncs prefer it because if you use the plant and are not careful you could introduce an infection risk. Or at least that's what they say, and I have no way of knowing how much of a risk that is.

If you use a plant, you carefully cut off the edges of the clean leaf (where the prickly part is) and discard them. Then slit the leaf lengthwise and lay it open. The inside has a gel-like consistency that you can scrap off with a clean table knife and rub on your skin. It stains, so I used an undershirt over the gel. It goes on smoothly and is cooling and soothing, but after awhile it stiffens, which feels odd but not uncomfortable. I think it's very protective of the surface of the skin, without being oily. It doesn't take much to cover a large area, so you can put the rest of the leaf into a plastic bag and store it in the frig. When you go to use it next time it will be extra cool and feel terrific. That way, you don't need a new leaf every day. A large leaf will last about a week -- don't know about the smaller ones.

The plants are pretty easy to keep alive indoors, so if you like "exotic" house plants, that's another plus.

Be well!
Binney

Krissy37

Hi Piffken

  I used ONLY the aloe vera plant leaves and my skin did really well.  I know a great place to order the leaves, and they are HUGE !  Very inexpensive. It was not messy or a hassle at all, infact  I ordered way too many for myself at the time..I put them in the fridge, and after I got home from rads, I cut a big chunk off to use - it was super cold and felt great!  Do not know if I can say the name here?  So please PM me if you are interested!

Krissy

SoCalLisa

You can get one at a plant nursery...we have lots of them in our back yard..

MariannaLaFrance

I used both the clear gel you can buy at the store and an aloe plant, and I thought the plant worked 100% better. I usually stopped itching after just 1 application of the plant, whereas with the gel, it sometimes took 2-3 doses before my skin felt all right.

adrienne2

Regarding the use of emu oil: I didn't use it, but I used calendula oil three times a day during my course of treatments, with no problem. It washes off very easily with baby shampoo (my soap of choice during rads), so I always had my skin clean for my treatments. I had no itching and no peeling, for which I was very grateful and surprised, being a fair-skinned redhead. My rads techs mentioned that they could tell that I had been taking really good care of my skin.

On the other hand, maybe I'd have been fine if I hadn't used anything at all -- no way to tell. I briefly considered putting oil on half my breast and nothing on the other half, but I didn't have the nerve

adrienne 

dreaming

Go to a Latino Store or Supermarket, also you can look on line and the price for the concentrate is a lot less, The Spanish name is Savila, many cancer patients at my work use Aloe.