All About AloeAll About Aloe

In the fall of 2000, Medline conducted focus groups with nurses throughout the country to learn how Medline could continue to improve its examination glove product line for healthcare employees. In each focus group, nurses consistently complained about their frustrations with their dry and irritated hands. Nurses explained that they were required to wash their hands 30-50 times a day and as a result their skin integrity suffered dramatically.

At one of the focus groups in Texas, one nurse explained to the group that she had been experiencing the discomfort of dry and chapped hands for many years and then proceeded to walk through a creative solution that she used to relieve her pain. She explained that every day as she returned home from work, she would go directly to her aloe plant, crack open an aloe leaf and apply the natural, soothing aloe to her hands. Her passion for her soothing aloe therapy was evident and we quickly realized the power behind this solution and the need to share this approach with healthcare workers across the nation. We realized that nurses would not have to wait until after work to moisturize their skin, but that we could help them on job while they performed their daily activities. The solution to dry and irritated skin was clear – Medline would provide examination gloves coated on the inside with pure aloe!

Within a few months, Medline developed Aloetouch exam gloves with aloe options for latex, vinyl and nitrile gloves. The Aloetouch exam gloves have been Medline’s most popular examination glove products to date.

In SURGERY, these same hand care concerns exist because gloves are worn for long periods of time, sometimes hours. There are also issues with the powder in surgical gloves and the alcohol based scrub solutions, which will further dry out your hands. To help you combat these issues, Medline developed a full line of Aloetouch® surgical gloves in 2002. Similar to the exam gloves, the surgical gloves are coated with pure Aloe Vera. As you wear the gloves, your own body heat activates the Aloe releasing it onto your hands. By wearing the Aloetouch® surgical glove as your glove of choice, you will be helping to keep your hands soft and healthy.

The Aloetouch® latex surgical gloves are available in a micro, standard and ortho thickness and are all powder-free, low protein and have the fit and feel you are accustomed to with the strength to provide you with unparalleled protection. The newest member to the Aloetouch® family is the Sensicare® with Aloe, latex-free, powder-free surgical gloves. These gloves are made out of a proprietary synthetic Polyisoprene formulation that gives you the fit, feel and protection of a latex glove, without the harmful latex proteins.

We are extremely proud of our Aloetouch glove solution and use exceptionally fresh and pure Aloe Vera with no additives, unlike lotions such as Jergens or Neutrogena. The aloe used in our gloves is certified as pure aloe by the International Aloe Science Council. Our factories apply the freeze-dried aloe to the inside of the gloves through a patented process. The aloe inside the glove is activated by the clinician donning the glove as body heat releases the aloe back onto the skin.

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