Dry elbows represent a very annoying situation and being ugly to see. To solve this imperfection, it is crucial to understand and know the causes to remedy it with creams and other ad hoc and specific products for the skin.
Dry elbows are characterized by being a mainly aesthetic problem. Besides this aspect, they also represent a critical issue for our skin. It is traditionally believed that dry elbows are a symptom of excessive stress, and, as always, the tradition is very close to reality.
Indeed, dry elbows occur when we lead a particularly stressed life, with rhythms often altered that lead us to overuse and excessive consumption of coffee and follow a poor diet, deficient in the primary nutrients for the skin.
Having dry elbows is also an essential and significant index of the state of hydration of our skin. It is a sign that we have poorly hydrated skin due precisely to a diet that does not contain the proper nutrients for our skin when it is cracked.
However, diet and lifestyle are among the causes of dry elbows. These can also derive from the clothes we wear: particularly in winter, we usually use clothes with a too rough texture that cracks the delicate skin of our elbows. Likewise, even the detergents and soaps we use, if they are too aggressive, may cause redness, burns and irritation.
In this article, we will see in detail what are the causes of dry elbows and what are the right remedies to adopt.
Table of Contents
Dry elbows causes
As we saw earlier, several causes can give rise to dry elbows. More specifically, these may be caused by:
- Poor hydration of the skin;
- Skin diseases such as dermatosis and psoriasis;
- Deficiencies of nutrients and vitamins, particularly vitamin A and E.
The elbow skin is very different from other body areas. Sebaceous glands that are functional and important in the distribution and production of sebum are not present in elbow skin.
That means, in the lack of almost natural hydration, it’s very important that this should occur from the outside, either through food or treating the elbows area with special moisturizers that strengthen the skin around the elbows.
The presence of skin diseases, like dermatitis and psoriasis, is also a fundamental and significant cause of the origin of dry elbows. Here, you should pay attention to proper care to preserve the skin of the elbow from continuous redness and cracking determined by itching.
The deficiency of vitamins A and E, in particular, is closely related to an incorrect diet, where the right nutrients for the skin are taken in a lower dose or not taken at all. Finally, among the causes at the base of dry elbows, we may also point out two particular hypotheses: the clothing we choose and the position we assume when sitting.
In the first case, it’s important to remember how certain garments, particularly those made of wool, may often be aggressive to the skin: This aggression comes from the rubbing of the fabric on the skin around the elbows, a rubbing that in the long run causes itching and subsequent cracking.
A particular cause that induces dry elbows is the way we sit: if we place our elbows, either naked or covered by clothes, on the table for too long, after a short time, we may notice how this position causes redness, itchiness and cracking.
Cracked white elbows
The skin color around the elbows is an essential index to consider to understand the degree of cracking. How dry and unmoisturized the skin is. Typically, when the color of the skin of the elbows is dark or tending towards black, the degree of dryness is very high, something that does not happen when we notice white dry elbows.
However, the characteristic white coloration of the skin around the elbows may be a sign of the presence of skin diseases, such as dermatosis or psoriasis. When these symptoms are present, the skin around the elbow tends to scale or form small white blisters.
Cracked and red elbows
A significant annoyance associated with reddened and dry elbows is feeling an uncomfortable itching sensation along the entire area surrounding the skin of the elbow. When it does appear, this feeling is marked by being particularly insistent, yielding to the desire to scratch; you’ll be able to observe how the skin becomes much redder and scaly.
When this occurs, you should avoid continuing to scratch to further aggravate the state of the skin and run the risk of having psoriasis on the elbows, a chronic inflammation of the skin that you can fight by resorting to a dermatologist who will be able to indicate the most appropriate solution for your case.
In the presence of a strong itching sensation and particularly red and dry skin, advice is always to moisturize it as much as possible to quickly remove dead skin cells and allow the tissues to revitalize much more quickly.
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Dry elbows remedies
There are different remedies that you can resort to in case of dry elbows. Most of these remedies are characterized by being natural remedies, little tricks and tips that you can follow to prevent this annoyance and cure it. We can report several elements and products that you can use between the natural remedies.
Cucumber
A fruit with whitening properties that you can use as an alternative to lemon or even in addition. Especially suitable for the most delicate and sensitive skin, without lemon’s typically acidic and aggressive effect, you may apply a slice of cucumber in the evening and leave it to act, fixing it with kitchen foil. You’ll notice a smoother skin and free from the impurities of cracking in no time.
Oats
A very effective remedy as it represents a kind of natural scrub. When applied daily on the skin of the elbow, it carries out a very effective exfoliating action and, due to its soothing properties, mitigates the burning sensation and redness.
Coconut oil
Another natural remedy, thanks to which you can fight and counteract the effects of a cracked elbow. It’s rich in saturated fatty acids, fundamental to rebalance and rehydrate the skin of the elbow: it is also characterized by antioxidant and nourishing properties, so it is a particularly effective remedy for chapped skin of the heels. To use, you can use small evening compresses or smear them during the day and let them absorb.
Bicarbonate of salt
Another all-natural remedy that you can use to treat the cracking of the skin of the elbow. Bicarbonate, indeed, is full of substances that perform a particularly intense exfoliating action, capable of removing dead skin cells and restoring the elbow to its natural color.
Lemon juice
To be used as an alternative to baking soda, you can massage the elbow area with a slice either by applying small compresses of lemon; the properties of this fruit will play a cleansing action capable of giving new life to the skin of the elbow.
Calendula
Known for its moisturizing properties, it is one of the fundamental remedies for the care of cracked elbows. Indeed, it carries out an effective healing action that helps cure the lesions derived from itching; it soothes the skin and promotes hydration of the elbow very quickly.
Further remedies for the care of dry elbows
A typical remedy to treat chapped elbow skin and soothe the pain and discomfort is to apply a few doses of Vaseline along the affected area.
You can use a sock with the tip cut off, apply Vaseline along the entire area that bothers you and use the sock as a band to protect your clothes or bed sheets from any stains. As an alternative to Vaseline, you can also use butter, Honey and oil to achieve the same effects.
Remember, lastly, to prevent redness, burns and cracks along the skin of the elbow is very important not to use bubble baths, deodorant and particularly aggressive perfumes.
Due to the characteristics of the elbow analyzed above, namely the lack of glands that naturally moisturize the skin, this part of the body is more sensitive to aggressive alcoholic agents present in most commercial cosmetic products.
If at all possible, always use skin-friendly products, taking special care to choose those best suited to your skin type.
