Aloe versus silver sulfadiazine creams for second-degree burns: a randomized controlled study

Burn injury is associated with a high incidence of death and disability; yet its management remains problematic and costly. We conducted this clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of aloe vera cream for partial thickness burn wounds and compare its results with those of silver sulfadiazine (SSD).

Thirty patients with similar types of second-degree burns at two sites on different parts of the body were included in this study. Each patient had one burn treated with topical SSD and one treated with aloe cream, randomly.

The rate of re-epithelialization and healing of the partial thickness burns was significantly faster in the site treated with aloe than in the site treated with SSD (15.9 +/- 2 vs 18.73 +/- 2.65 days, respectively; P < 0.0001). The sites treated with aloe were completely healed in less than 16 days vs 19 days for the sites treated with SSD.

These results clearly demonstrated the greater efficacy of aloe cream over SSD cream for treating second-degree burns.