Why do the elbows of women and men dry out on their hands, the skin cracks and crusts form: causes, treatment. Rough elbows: signs of what disease?

Dry skin on the elbows often indicates endocrine disorders, allergies and skin diseases. But this problem can also be a consequence of improper care.

Therefore, before starting treatment, it is necessary to undergo a full examination, since symptomatic therapy carried out at home does not affect the main cause of dry skin. Based on the test results, the doctor prescribes medications and gives recommendations on the use of folk remedies.

Why is the skin rough and dark on the elbows?

Everyone has thin skin on their elbows, regardless of body size. There are no sebaceous glands in this area, so many people experience dryness and a feeling of roughness of the skin. The reasons may be trivial: constantly resting our elbows on a table or other surface while working, we injure the thin epidermis. And if your elbows begin to dry out in winter, during the heating season, the reason will be hidden in insufficient humidity in the room.

But there are a number of more serious reasons why the skin in the elbow area becomes rough and dark in color:

• Deficiency of vitamins A and E in the body.
• Diabetes.
• Autoimmune diseases.
• Dermatological diseases.
• Diseases of the endocrine system.
• Anemia.
• Hormonal imbalances.

It is recommended to undergo an examination of the body if there are problems with the skin on the elbows. This will help identify the causes of skin disorders. Required:

1. Take a general and biochemical blood test.
2. Check your hormonal levels.
3. Visit a dermatologist's office.
4. Check your blood sugar levels.

If no internal problems are identified, the cause of skin darkening should be sought in external factors.

What to do and how to get rid of black spots on elbows?

If the color or condition of the skin on your elbows changes, you should consult a doctor. During the examination, the specialist will check the condition of the thyroid gland, blood sugar levels and the absence of skin diseases.

• If everything is in order, then the reason should be sought either in a lack of vitamins, or in the peculiarities of caring for this area of ​​​​the skin.
• In the case of diseases, it will be possible to cure dryness and dark spots on the elbows only after the root cause has been cured.

An important question remains: how to treat darkening and roughening of the skin? This is where numerous store-bought and homemade formulations will come to the rescue.

Baths will help remove rough spots

Baths help achieve a comprehensive effect on the problem: warm water softens the skin, and the components added to it can more easily penetrate the layers of the dermis and produce their positive effect. You can resort to the following recipes:

Such procedures allow you to comfortably and without aggressive influence cope with the problem of rough, dark elbows.

Scrubs are an effective remedy

A scrub is a cosmetic product that contains solid particles of different sizes that allow you to exfoliate keratinized and blackened skin particles with a selected intensity. Scrubs are effective in the fight against dark and rough elbows.

There are two options: you can resort to purchased products, the choice of which is large in any cosmetic store, or you can prepare the mixture yourself at home. It is worth considering that store-bought body scrubs are developed by specialists, and therefore, in addition to exfoliating properties, they also moisturize and nourish the skin, and when preparing a homemade product, you should rely on the same principle. Let's look at a few popular recipes:

Treatment for rough elbow skin

When deciding what to do about dry and dark skin on your elbows, you may want to consult a dermatologist. He will prescribe medications that restore the skin. Depending on the individual situation, these drugs may be:

• Anti-flaking ointments: zinc, salicylic, with birch tar.
• Moisturizing and antiallergic creams: Gistan, Boro Plus, La-Cri.
• Vitamin creams: Aevit, Bepanten.
• Vitamin complexes: Centrum, Complivit, Duovit.
• Antihistamines: Suprastinex, Claritin, Zodak.
• Medicines with iron: Ferrum-lek, Sorbifer.

When carrying out home treatment with medications, it is necessary to take into account all the doctor’s recommendations. If another negative reaction appears on the skin, inform a specialist without canceling the product yourself. Dosage adjustments or drug changes may be necessary.

What to do, how to treat rough and rough elbows?

After research has been carried out and the cause of dry skin on the elbows has been determined, it is necessary to immediately begin to eliminate these causes.

First of all, exfoliating preparations are used, then preparations that soften the skin, for example: use salicylic ointment for exfoliation, and nourishing cream to soften the skin.

But this is the case if the cause of peeling is untimely care of the elbows, uncomfortable clothing or incorrect positioning of the hands at the desk.

When the cause lies in a lack of vitamins, you need to listen to the opinion of dermatologists who advise eliminating the cause with the help of vitamin complexes.

The endocrinologist told you that you have a problem with the endocrine system? Listen to individual recommendations and follow them strictly.

After this, begin to soften the skin of the elbows with ointments and creams, which are applied to cleansed skin twice a day until a stable remission or full recovery occurs, which will manifest itself externally in improving the cosmetic appearance of the elbows.

If the cause of cracked skin is long-term improper and irregular care, then everything depends only on you: the skin of your hands will have to be moisturized after each wash and taken care of.

In this case, the products are applied only with massage movements in a clockwise direction.

In such cases, creams are recommended for use, in which you can find alfalfa or chamomile, and which have a double effect: softening and healing. Is your skin lumpy? Use cream with glycerin and lecithin.

When the water-fat balance is disturbed, the skin quickly loses moisture and also becomes rough, flaky and even lumpy.

In this case, you need to stop using soap, because it very much dries out the skin of the entire body. Instead of soap, you can use a special foam with a nourishing and moisturizing effect, or gel.

Often oils come to the rescue: olive and even more familiar to us - sunflower.

Using heated oils as a basis, you can make night compresses, baths for 10 minutes, after which you need to rub the skin with a not very rough brush and finish everything off by applying a moisturizer to the peeling areas.

Regular potatoes will help whiten your elbows and soften them. It needs to be finely grated, the paste that has formed after this should be applied to the elbow area, wrapped not very tightly with a bandage and left for 30 minutes, maybe longer.

The product can be used 3 times a week until a positive effect occurs. Further, as a preventive measure, 1 time per week.

Try a compress made from natural apple cider vinegar. Take 2.5-3 tablespoons of apple vinegar (ideally homemade).

We have already discussed how to make apple cider vinegar with your own hands at home in our previous articles.

Add the same amount of water to them. Let this solution sit for 5 minutes.

Next, take a couple of cotton pads, blot the liquid with them, apply tightly to your elbows, secure with an elastic bandage, and hold for at least half an hour. Then rinse your elbows and lubricate with cream.

Repeat the procedure every 2 days until a stable positive result is achieved, after which you can change the frequency of using these discs to 1 per week.

Instead of cotton pads, you can use sterile gauze or a bandage, depending on the availability of this or that material.

Folk recipes

Folk remedies will help improve the condition of the skin on your elbows. They are prepared from available ingredients, do not require much time, and are harmless. You can try the following home remedies:

1. Lightening your elbows with lemon
   Cut thin slices from a fresh lemon. Apply the slices to your elbows and secure for half an hour with a plaster or bandage. Afterwards, without washing off the lemon juice, lubricate with nourishing cream. The dark skin on your elbows will begin to lighten.
2. Heat olive oil to a comfortable temperature. Immerse your elbows in the oil and hold for 10 minutes. Exfoliate the skin with a brush and apply cream.
3. Grate a raw potato, put the mixture on a bandage, apply a compress to your elbows for 1 hour.
4. Mix 2 tablespoons of aloe with three tablespoons of fat sour cream. Add a teaspoon of olive oil. Rub into the skin on your elbows in the mornings and evenings.
5. Mix 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in the same amount of water. Wait five minutes. Soak a cotton pad in the liquid and place it on your elbow. Fix, hold for half an hour, then rinse your elbows from vinegar with warm water, use the cream. Do it every two days.
6. Dissolve 100 grams of salt and 50 grams of soda in a liter of water. Immerse your elbows in the bath for 20 minutes. After treatment with a brush or pumice stone, apply nourishing cream. To increase efficiency, use potato decoction instead of water.
7. Mix a teaspoon of lemon juice with a tablespoon of starch, 2 tbsp. baby cream Apply the resulting mixture to your elbows. Wait for it to dry and wash off.
8. Dissolve a teaspoon of ammonia in 1 liter of water and add the same amount of liquid soap. Immerse your elbows in the bath for 20-30 minutes. Do it regularly, you will be able to notice changes after just a week of use.
9. Heat the milk, dilute honey in it. Make a compress for 20-30 minutes, rinse, moisturize with cream with nourishing ingredients.
10. Mix 2 tablespoons of pharmaceutical thick Vaseline with a spoon of honey. Add 3 drops of sea buckthorn oil to the mixture. Rub the resulting “cream” every night at night.

For additional skin care on your elbows, use nourishing oils: olive, grape seed, coconut, even simple sunflower. They can be used to lubricate the skin after masks or compresses. Only regular comprehensive treatment will help you get rid of dryness and darkening of the skin in the elbow area.

Folk recipes can be alternated, rather than sticking to just one. But they will help if the cosmetic defect was caused by an external cause, and not by internal problems. If remedies don't help, see your doctor to understand why your dry skin continues to bother you.

How to care for the skin of your elbows?

Rough skin of the elbows, regardless of the reason that caused this condition, needs special care. You can use home remedies for this.

Folk compositions can be used during pregnancy and lactation. But the use of a certain remedy must be agreed with the doctor.

Nettle

Baths made from a decoction of the plant are useful. Method of preparation and use of the product:

1. Take 300 g of dry raw materials per 1 liter of boiling water.
2. The product is infused for 15-20 minutes until the temperature reaches an acceptable value.
3. Pour the infusion into a convenient basin or bowl.
4. Lower your arms into it, bent at the elbows.
5. Keep them in the bath for 15 minutes.
6. Wipe thoroughly and lubricate with moisturizer.

The procedure stimulates metabolic processes, improves blood circulation, and relieves inflammation.

Olive oil

The product is prepared as follows:

1. Take 6 tbsp. l. raw materials.
2. Heat in a water bath.
3. Divide the volume in half and pour into two saucers, one for each elbow.

Keep your elbows in this oil bath for 5-10 minutes. This is enough to soften even the roughest skin. After the procedure, you can gently rub it with a pumice stone with small bubbles (it has a weak grinding effect, but it gently treats the skin).

After this, you need to wash your elbows with running water and lubricate the problem area with a nourishing cream.

Potato

A compress of grated raw or boiled potatoes mixed with honey in equal parts is used.

The product is applied overnight and secured with a bandage.

Carrot

A mask based on fresh carrot juice is effective. This remedy has the following effects:

• provides skin with hydration;
• helps make it firmer and more elastic;
• saturates with vitamin A, capable of healing wounds and cracks and responsible for the regeneration processes of the epidermis;
• protects against flaking and dryness.

Cooking method:

1. Grate a small carrot.
2. Mix it with 1 tbsp. l. olive oil.
3. Without squeezing this mass, apply it to your elbows.
4. Secure with a bandage.

After half an hour, you can wash off the mask with warm water.

Salt, soda

It is possible to eliminate darkening of the skin using a bath based on iodized salt or baking soda.

How to use the product:

1. Take 2 tsp. for 2 cups of hot water.
2. The elbows are kept in such a bath for 10-15 minutes.
3. Using a pumice stone or scrub, remove flaky skin. This allows you to eliminate its darkening.

Other means

To lighten the epidermis, apply a compress of lemon drops, which is left overnight.

To prevent the skin on the elbows from being red, wipe it with rice water, freshly squeezed lemon or grapefruit juice.

You can mash the leaves of white cabbage and wrap them around your elbows for several hours.

Preventative tips

To prevent your skin from darkening and flaking in the future, you should follow simple prevention recommendations.

• Drink enough liquid “for internal hydration.” 2 liters is the average norm, but listen to the needs of your body.
• Install a humidifier during the heating season.
• Eat foods rich in vitamins A, E and C, and also periodically take courses of vitamin complexes.
• Take warm showers more often than hot baths to avoid worsening dry skin.
• Use moisturizing and nourishing creams, exfoliate the skin with scrubs and light peelings so that it renews itself faster.
• Do not apply shower gel or soap to the elbow area when showering or bathing.
• Avoid using cosmetics with aggressive ingredients, and do not allow cleaning products to come into contact with bare skin.
• Cover your elbows when in the sun.
• A balanced diet and avoidance of alcohol and strong coffee.

Rough and dark skin on the elbows is a phenomenon that is difficult to surprise anyone with. Thin skin is not protected by a fat layer and constantly dries out due to insufficient moisture or the habit of sitting with your elbows on the surface. Stress and lack of care most often cause darkening and flaking, but serious diseases can also cause such effects.

Various pathological causes

When figuring out the causes of dry skin on the elbows, you need to understand that this is not always a quickly correctable problem with simple manipulations.

Unfortunately, this is sometimes a sign of serious pathological changes in the body, the treatment of which must be started immediately.

The metabolic rate drops, skin restoration also becomes unstable and slow: regeneration processes in it lag behind the normal physiological cycle.

In this case, first of all, it is necessary to take an analysis for the amount of thyroid-stimulating hormone of the pituitary gland, abbreviated as TSH. Insufficient production of the hormone thyroxine by the thyroid gland leads to unsatisfactory skin condition.

If the nutrition of skin cells is disrupted, its condition also changes, and the cause of this can be the dangerous disease diabetes mellitus.

It is worth noting that during this disease the skin becomes not just dry and flaky, but also easily wounded and poorly healing. All this leads to inflammation, damage and long wound healing. The skin of people with diabetes becomes rough not only on the elbows and heels, but sometimes even on the palms.

Dry elbows are a fairly common occurrence with low red blood cell levels - anemia. Anemia is not only the cause of dry skin, but a symptom of many diseases.

If the amount of iron is reduced, not only the elbows, but also the knees become dry.

When looking for the problem of dry elbows, you need to remember about autoimmune disorders, in which the immune system creates antibodies in the cells of its body, such as ichthyosis.

A possible pathology is hyperkeratosis, during which the stratum corneum of the skin thickens.

If you have itching, redness in certain places, and inflammation of the dermis, this is the first sign that you probably have eczema or psoriasis.

✔ First of all, you need to visit a dermatologist and endocrinologist. The cause of the disease is diagnosed using clinical studies.

✔ Blood test and skin test results are required. With the help of a blood test, it is possible to exclude or confirm diabetes mellitus, anemia, and endocrine system problems in a patient.

✔ Analytics of the condition of the skin allows you to exclude or confirm eczema or psoriasis.

✔ You should pay attention to the position of your hands when working at the table, reconsider the cosmetics you use.

✔ If you use unnatural, low-quality cosmetics for skin care, this can already become a provoking factor for roughening of the elbows.

External causes of dry elbows

There are many reasons for coarsening, roughness and darkening of the skin on the elbow. The habit of sitting at a table or desk, leaning on your elbows, is one of the most common. In this situation, strong compression and friction of the skin occurs, which leads to darkening and changes in their structure.

Another reason could be the heating season or hot weather. Exposure to dry air and prolonged exposure to sunlight also affects the condition of the skin.

External factors that adversely affect skin condition:

• frequent bathing with soap (it is known to dry out the skin) and a washcloth;
• synthetic clothing with long sleeves;
• insufficient skin care.

ethnoscience

Traditional treatment for black elbows is quite popular among adherents of alternative medicine. Let's look at a couple of recipes.

Burdock oil

To begin, thoroughly steam the problem area. After the bath, cleanse your skin with a scrub to remove the dead skin layer. When your elbows are clean, pour burdock oil into your palm and rub it into the steamed area with light massage movements.

Rough elbows - care recommendations

Having found out the cause and effectively eliminated it, it is necessary to start preventing dry skin.

Scrubs. Exfoliate rough skin on your elbows with scrubs, nourish the skin and moisturize it with oils and creams, both ready-made and purchased at specialized retail outlets.

Lemon. Turning to traditional medicine, you can hear the following advice: lubricate the skin with lemon, rice broth, sauerkraut juice, all these methods allow you to whiten the skin and, to a certain extent, soften it.

Homemade mask. Homemade recipes are almost as good as purchased creams and masks: 1 tsp. fine salt, cream, hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice.

Mix everything and apply to softened skin of the elbows, wrap and leave for 30 minutes. After applying the mask, the skin must be softened with creams.

By following these recommendations, you can achieve your goal, and your elbows will always be beautiful and soft.

• Why does the skin on my elbows become dark and dry?
• What disease can black elbows be a sign of?
• What to do and how to get rid of black spots on elbows?
• Baths will help remove rough spots
• Scrubs are an effective remedy
• How to quickly whiten dark elbows on your hands
• How to remove dark spots with creams and ointments
• Video: how to wash the skin of your elbows using a bath
• Reviews

Why does it become dry?

There are many factors that can affect dry skin on your elbows. All of them can be generally divided into:

• Natural.
• Pathological - caused by various health problems. The skin on the elbows can become rough due to dermatological problems, as well as due to internal disorders - diseases of internal organs and systems.

Sometimes dealing with dry and flaky skin on the elbows is not at all difficult: you just need to change your daily habits and start properly caring for the epidermis. But in some situations, only a doctor can identify the exact cause of roughness and correct it.

Perhaps the most common cause of increased dryness of the elbows and flaking of the skin on them is regular stress on such areas of the body. This is most typical for people who spend hours working on a computer. But in addition, elbows can become rough when:

• Natural aging processes.
• Having bad habits.
• Regular stress and emotional overstrain.
• Wearing tight and, especially, synthetic clothing.
• Lack of fluid in the body and/or excessive dryness of the environment.

It is worth noting that the listed factors can affect not only the skin on the elbows, but also the epidermis on other parts of the body.

The problem can be aggravated by poor nutrition, regular washing under chlorinated water, and temperature changes. However, the listed causes of dryness can be corrected at home.

Sometimes the appearance of roughness and peeling on the elbows is the first sign of dermatological diseases. Such symptoms may manifest themselves:

• Fungal diseases, in particular lichen. At the same time, the skin may also be somewhat itchy and red.
• Dermatitis. This is an inflammatory skin disease that can be triggered by a variety of factors, such as allergies. The disease can manifest itself on the elbows, making itself felt by drying out, cracking, itching and redness. The disease usually affects the condition of the epidermis in other parts of the body.

Psoriasis. This is a fairly common dermatological disease, which is characterized by a chronic course. With this disease, inflammatory rashes appear on the skin, covered with many silvery scales. If you try to remove them, a bright pink surface will be exposed underneath, with small droplets of blood appearing on them.

The appearance of signs of dermatological diseases is a serious reason for an early consultation with a dermatologist. Timely diagnosis and proper treatment helps avoid progression of the disease.

The skin on the elbows may become dry when:

• Hypovitaminosis is a lack of provitamin A, vitamins E and D, etc. In this case, a person may notice the appearance of itching, dryness and cracks on the feet, as well as on other areas of the skin.
• Disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine system. Such diseases usually make themselves felt by a variety of health problems, including changes in body weight, irregular menstrual cycle, emotional swings, etc.

• Failures of metabolic processes of various etiologies. Similar problems can also be manifested by obesity, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, etc.
• Iron deficiency anemia. With such a disorder, the patient is also worried about noticeable weakness, loss of strength, pallor, brittle nails and hair, etc.
• Chronic kidney problems. Such disorders can be suspected by reduced urine production, swelling and shortness of breath. Patients may also complain of disturbances in normal night rest, loss of appetite, increased blood pressure, etc.
• Various types of allergies. Even a mild allergy, which is not accompanied by severe disturbances in well-being, can make itself felt by various changes in the condition of the skin. Most often, the disease causes peeling, rashes, and redness. These areas of skin may itch and cause discomfort.
  

  You should not ignore obvious health problems, even if they cause a mild disturbance of well-being. Timely seeking medical help will help avoid extremely undesirable consequences.

• Hypothyroidism. With this disease, the thyroid gland produces an insufficient amount of hormones, which disrupts the overall well-being of a person. Hypothyroidism can manifest itself as lethargy, slowness, decreased performance, a feeling of constant chilliness, and fatigue. Hormones affect the condition of the skin, cause brittle nails and hair loss. Possible weight gain.

Diseases of the adrenal glands, in particular chronic adrenal insufficiency. With this disease, the adrenal glands produce insufficient amounts of hormones, which leads to metabolic disorders and an imbalance of water and salts in the body. The disease can make itself felt by increased pigmentation in open areas of the body and areas of friction of the skin and clothing, as well as progressive weakness and increasing fatigue. Possible weight loss, weight loss, hypotension, dizziness, fainting, disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract, etc.

• Diabetes mellitus. This disease can also cause the appearance of specific dark spots on the skin of the elbows. The disease is also manifested by increased thirst, frequent urination, constant hunger and weight loss. Itching of the skin, muscle weakness, dry mouth, etc. may occur.

Dark spots on the elbows may well appear due to natural causes, in particular, increased stress on these areas of the body. But sometimes such a symptom warns of quite serious health problems.

In children, peeling and darkening of the skin on the elbows is most often a consequence of allergization of the body. In particular, with atopic dermatitis, the epidermis in some areas of the body may become rough to the touch and darken over time. If the allergen continues to enter the body, rashes and weeping may appear on the skin. Sometimes dry skin on the elbows of children is observed with:

• Insufficient care of these areas. In particular, parents of infants often forget to lubricate the baby’s elbows with cream. And if the baby learns to roll over, sit up or crawl, it is the elbows and knees that may suffer from this. The skin can even become dry due to friction from bedding and diapers.
• Low hemoglobin levels. Also, with this problem, the child may experience pallor of the skin and blueness of the nasolabial triangle.
• Depriving. In children of preschool and primary school age, this dermatological disease is quite common; a doctor will help to identify and treat it.

If organizing proper care for your child’s elbows does not in any way affect their condition within a week, you should definitely seek medical help from a dermatologist.

White spots on the elbows are found quite rarely. The reason for their occurrence may lie in:

• Development of psoriasis. With this disease, a spot forms on the skin, covered with many whitish scales. The disease causes discomfort and is prone to progression.
• Vitiligo. This disease is accompanied by a pigmentation disorder - the complete disappearance of the coloring pigment melanin in some areas of the skin. The disease does not pose a threat to health and does not cause any health problems. Stains in this case are only a cosmetic defect.

Psoriasis requires targeted and comprehensive treatment under the supervision of a doctor. As for vitiligo, today there is not a single effective method of treating such a disease.

Peeling of the skin from the elbow to the shoulder can also be explained by the natural and pathological factors already listed above, but sometimes the cause of the rough epidermis in this area is follicular hyperkeratosis. This is a very common dermatological ailment in which the skin becomes quite rough and dry to the touch, and if you look closely, small bright red, slightly rough nodules will be visible on it. The cause of this condition is blockage of the follicle ducts with horny scales, which leads to its inflammation. Such a violation can be provoked by:

• Vitamin A deficiency.
• Lack of vitamin C.
• Hereditary predisposition.
• Allergy of the body.

Follicular hyperkeratosis does not pose a potential threat to the human body, however, it becomes a visible cosmetic defect. It is worth noting that the disease can worsen when attempting self-therapy, so it is better to treat it under the supervision of a doctor.

Can children have rough elbows and why?

Rough elbows in children, just like in adults, are the result of some disease or improper care of the skin of the elbows.

There are several reasons for this, but most often it is atopic dermatitis or, in simple terms, diathesis.

To accurately confirm your guesses, you must immediately visit a pediatrician, get tested and follow the doctor’s instructions.

Naturally, we should not forget that a child’s rough, rough skin on the elbows may indicate excessive trauma. How? Everything is very simple.

Don't forget about the increased activity of little fidgets. Elbows often come into contact with surfaces that can regularly, although not very seriously, injure them.

So the skin reacts accordingly, increasing the number of roughened epidermal cells on its surface, for natural protective purposes. So, until the reasons are found out, there is no need to worry.