Can you be allergic to Aloe vera?

Wow, I'm not cracking up after all!!  I tried a 99% aloe cream once on my hands. Right away, they turned red, burned and swelled double their size. Thinking maybe it was a reaction to something else I might have had on my hands, I washed them really well and tried it again. Again, the same reaction.  Years later, my husband and I are on vacation and I had forgotten the sunscreen. Being the sweet man that he is, he bought some sunscreen from one of the little stores in the area and put it on me. Next thing I know, my daughter pointed out that I had something wrong with my skin. I was covered from neck down with huge hives. Everywhere the aloe had touched, was swollen and red. My poor husband felt so bad and spent the rest of the evening putting calamine on me and trying not to laugh cos I was swollen and pink.  Now, I read labels on EVERYTHING!!!!!! 

I'm allergic to aloe as well, but it is mild.  when I am exposed to pure aloe vera or a product with a high aloe content, my skin gets a red (non-itchy) rash.  However, if I wear a lip gloss or use a soap that has aloe in it (low aloe content), I do not get a reaction.

Olwen Anderson wrote:Hi I start using natural aloe vera leaves a week ago. But 3 days later i feel a small part of my chin numb a a little swallow. The swallow effect and numb dissapear after an hr ( I did have aloe and wash previously of this happen). Then 2 days later happend again I have aloe vera and my upper lips swallen horrible and I was so worry and I took allergy pill, but then it went away after 2 hrs. Do you think is the aloe vera causing this issue?

OH MY GOD I GOT SUNBURNED OVER THE WEEKEND I JUST APPLIED SOME ALOE VERA GEL AND NOW MY ARMS ARE BURNING AND ITCHING LIKE CRAZY WHICH I CAN NOT ITCH DUE TO THE SUNBURN...IS THIS AN ALLERGIC REACTION AND WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP IT I AM ABOUT TO GO CRAZY!!!!!!!

Guest, you said: "You can't be allergic to Aloe. It's a pure substance made by G-d." While aloe is a pure substance made by G-d, so are nuts, trees, fish, and many other things to which people are allergic. Assuming something cannot cause an allergic reaction simply because it is "a pure substance made by G-d" is wrong. I am allergic to many such "pure substances" and can even go into anaphylactic shock if I ingest fish or nuts. (By the way, I am a born again believer, so I am coming from the same world view as you.)

i got sun burnt recently, fell asleep outdoors and woke up fried. i was in pain so my partner got me aloe vera gel from a health food place its pure aloe vera nothing else in it. i put pure aloe vera gel on several times, god i wish i hadnt. at first i didnt notice anything but after a day i kept saying it felt like it was burning but was told you cannot be allergic its a natural product used to treat burns all over the world its just reacting to the burnt areas. well i was sun burnt down my face neck legs chest stomach and arms. when i first put the aloe vera on i didnt feel anything until later but started over time to suspect something was wrong so after the first day i only put aloe on my chest as my partner kept insisting i use it. now my sun burnt has long healed but i have what can only be described as a mild chemical burn on my chest causing my skin to peel away in chunks.also after only a few days since i first touched it aloe vera now burns like acid if i even put a dab on my hands before i can even apply it. trust me you can be violently allergic to this blasted stuff. now i have excruciating burns and have been unable to even put on a tshirt the last few days and cannot put anything on to soothe the skin as nearly everything contains aloe and i dont want to risk anything else so have no choice but to constantly rush back to a bath of cold water as it is the only soothing substance i can get. im itching all over where the aloe vera touched me but cannot scratch as my skin is too sensitive there and the skin is peeling off. the next time someone tells me you cannot be allergic to anything il tell them to suck it.

I signed up to this site to thank you for your post about using cortisone cream. This morning I had a terrible reaction to aloe vera (in Jasons Moisturing cream) all over my face. It was like the worst sunburn I had ever had and was getting worse. I did a web search for help and fortunately found your posting. I had some cortisone cream as well. After three applications, the redness went away. I can't imagine what would have happened to my skin if things had gotten worse. Thanks again.

The number of aloe allergies is on the rise due to its presence in the majority of toiletries and cosmetics. Nonetheless, cosmetic and health care industries continue to use aloe as they callously claim that it is "good for you". Hopefully some day they'll realize that they'll be losing a LOT of customers if they don't curb their obsession for a known allergen.

I went surfing for the first time in 2 year. I came back home with a massive sunburn all over my back, face and shoulders. My friend recommened I use Aloe Vera to cool the burns. Seeing that my mom had an aloe vera plant in the garden, I cut a stalk and started using it. god I wish I hadn't used it. My skin immediately became hot. I thought it was the sunburn but it was really a an allergic reaction. I applied aloe for 2 days straight and my sunburn was getting worse and more and more painful, and the worse my sunburn got, the more I thought I should keep applying aloe. It got so excrutiatingly painful that I couldn't do anything. My wife said I should try a mild steroid cream, I did and my burn became much better. We figured out it was an allergic reaction to the aloe. I had a bath and washed off all the aloe. I went to the doc and got some steroid pills. Next day I'm feeling much better. the reaction to the aloe was so painful that now my sunburn does not hurt at all. There is heaps of propoganda about aloe, don't believe it. Even the Doc thought it was crazy that I was alergic to it. I'm really thankful to my wife for figuring this out.

i've been allergic to aloe vera since i was 12 it started with a rash and feeling sick and then three years ago it started making me swel up quickly and badly making it hard to even breathe, i'd vomit, sleep alot, and feel generally sick. The first time i went to the doctors they did testing and gave me shots, and they worst part a tiny bruch from someone else skin can start a reaction.  I've had it happen form perfumes, foods, drinks and lotions.  And it's very possiable to be allergic to aloe, just like you can be allergic to tomatoes and even some flowers make me feel very sick, the doctor said it's not common but when and if you do get allergic to aloe vear all you can do is be very careful.  I always make sure i have benadryl on me and in my purse plus take it before i go in a store so someones perfume won't trigger a reaction, it's not fun but it's life.

you are a DUMB ASS! i take it youre one of the lucky people with no allergies... prob not even poison ivy

i once used aloe vera on a tissue on my face since then i have developed a burning sensation around my mouth and cheektal area, i believe this is commmonly known as myfacialosis which is a mixture of burning skin without a rash. This desiease can also be down to problems in the spinal area.

i also experienced myfacialosis syndrome its quite an ugly disease causing a real stinging/burning sensation in my face although i didnt have such a bad case as it was not caused by activity in my spine.

This happened to me too. I got sunburned and applied lotion with aloe vera. I began itching so intensely that my husband called the hospital to see if he should take me in to be treated. The person he spoke with asked if I had applied aloe vera. When he told her yes, she said to jump in the shower immediately and get the aloe vera off my skin. Eventually the extreme itching and burning stopped. Now I never apply aloe vera after being in the sun.

YES one CAN be allergic to aloe vera. I am and have been for many years. Your reasoning that it is natural and therefore is not something that any one can be allergic to is very flawed. There are many natural substances that individuals have allergies to. These allergies did not just come about with the advent of industiralization, which is basically what you are alluding to when you speak of "toxins" in food. And unless you grow your own food, and live and a hermetically sealed chamber with unadulterated air, there is no guarantee that anything you eat, drink, or breath is completely without toxins.