Hi Rawkiwi,
I started looking into Alow Vera and how to consume it for the first time last week. I have also tried finding where I gathered my info from and cannot replace my footsteps as yet but give Youtube a hit and if I come across it I will post it for you.
However, some of the details I do recall is that you can't just eat any Aloe Vera and there are many different types!
The ones you can eat for medicinal purposes should be the length of your forearm. Allow the seeping gel to drip away and then as Raw-S said cut away the skin or you'll be becoming best friends with your potty!

This guy I saw cutting the skin stated he started to skin it from the thickest end and cut it as close as possible to the skin ensuring you do not lose much of it's magical substance but made sure there was absolutely no trace of it's outer layer whatsoever! Once you have removed all trace of the skin, you are left with the solid part of the gel which can be thrown into a blender with your favourite juices.
This gentleman I watched also was very big on thanking his resource each morning when he broke off one entire leaf!
Hope this starts your guide positively and I will keep in search for my aloe resources to send yor'll
Keep smilin'
salt water