permanent dry patch (elbow)

[physicschick]

I keep getting a dry patch of skin on my left elbow. (The right elbow is always fine and not especially dry.) If I use creams, lotions, and oils on it aggressively for a week, it'll subside, but then I forget and it comes back in a few weeks. I thought this was a winter problem, but now it's June and the thing keeps coming back!

Could this be something other than just dry skin? How do I decide if I need to see a dermatologist or not? I was thinking it could be psoriasis or some weird fungal infection, but all of my family members say it looks like regular dry skin.

--physicschick

[justgreen]

I have that too! Right now, it's the right elbow. Sometimes its the left one. Pierre posted on this on LHC and said that happened to him and he put peroxide on it and it bubbled!:boggle: He had an infection. But I tried that and it didn't bubble. I try to keep a good heavy lotion on them and then I use natural body butter right before bed. Mine's a little dry this morning. I hope someone comes along that knows what causes this.:gurn:

[blendedchaitea]

I have the exact same problem. Even on the same elbow! It gets pretty gross. I find that if before bed every night I put a regular body moisturizer on it it begins to get better. But, I haven't, um, remembered to put it on long enough to see if it makes permament improvement

I'll have to try the peroxide...I don't want an infection...

[Dulci]

I had the same sort of thing, only it was below my left ankle. It was dry, scaly and brownish, I first noticed it as a teen. It's gone now, yay! :whoohoo: I think it was helped by all the epsom salts baths I've been taking the last couple of years, I take 3-4 a week.

[5of10]

Could this be something other than just dry skin?

I had the same "ugly dry left elbow" problem for a while. It finally dawned on me that I lean on my left elbow quite a bit. Since eliminating that bad habit, my left elbow is the same "dryness" as the right. Both soften up nicely with a little TLC and lotions/creams.

This may not be your problem at all, but I thought it was worth mentioning, since it took quite a while for it to dawn on me. :eureka:

[physicschick]

Epsom salt baths... Ain't gonna happen. That would require cleaning the tub. :lol: (Yes, I am far too lazy.) Peroxide might be do-able if I can figure it where it's gone. (Disorganized too!)

5of10, you may be on to something. I will "watch" myself today and see which elbow I lean on. I do spend a lot of time leaning on elbows.

Thanks for the comments, everyone! :flower:

--physicschick

[enitsirk]

I have the same issue, though not so much on the elbow. Instead I get to have a big patch of dry skin on my arm above the elbow.

For me at least, as far as I know it's just plain try skin and lots of lotion will take it away for a while..then randomly comes back :(

Anyway...waiting on someone to say 'well, this is of course because of X so you should do Y and it'll be cured' :geek:



*looks at elbows*

Okay I lied..my elbows are dry too. Must pay attention to leaning on them...

[snowbear]

I've found that Udderly Smooth makes even the toughest, most dry, scaly bits "udderly" soft. :cloppy:
I saturate my feet in the stuff, and then slap socks over them. Maybe saturate your elbow, and wrap it in something?

[justgreen]

Just a thought....if you want to reap the benefits of epsom salts and don't want to do the bath thingy, do a foot soak with them. You will absorb tons more magnesium that way, than you'd ever be able to take orally. Or you could soak your elbows in a small tub. I don't like baths either, but I've been know to do an epsom/ACV bath every now and then.:geek: *this is justy's favorite smilie*

[Elle]

I've had the same problem on my outer left ankle. The skin is extremely dry and leathery. It seems that this problem is common. I wonder what causes it. :confused: My right ankle is perfectly fine!

[Amari]

I'm with 5of10. I lean on my left elbow when I'm on the computer. My spot is about the size of a quarter and dry, dry, dry. I try to keep off my elbow, but most of the time I don't even realize I'm doing it.

[physicschick]

Quick update... After observing myself for several days, I've realized I spend vast amounts of time leaning on my elbows. This may indeed be the cause of the dry patch, although I still think I lean on my right elbow almost as much as my left elbow. Aggressive moisturizing has brought the patch from painfully cracking down to just dry and icky. I think in the long run it'll be easier to glop moisturizer on it regularly than it will be to train myself not to lean on my elbows. :rolleyes:

--physicschick

[justgreen]

Quick update... After observing myself for several days, I've realized I spend vast amounts of time leaning on my elbows. This may indeed be the cause of the dry patch, although I still think I lean on my right elbow almost as much as my left elbow. Aggressive moisturizing has brought the patch from painfully cracking down to just dry and icky. I think in the long run it'll be easier to glop moisturizer on it regularly than it will be to train myself not to lean on my elbows. :rolleyes:

--physicschick

OH my, yours sounds painful!:grim: You might want to try a bit of neosporin on it a couple of times a day. I have some that has lidocaine in it and it kind of numbs the pain.:gurn:

[5of10]

I think in the long run it'll be easier to glop moisturizer on it regularly than it will be to train myself not to lean on my elbows. :rolleyes:

--physicschick

If you do most of your "elbow leaning" at home, what I did might work for you.

I glopped lotion/cream/oil on my elbows and tied a cloth around them. The original intent was to keep the lotion/oil from getting all over my papers. An added bonus was that with this big rag around my elbows, it was no longer comfortable to bend my arm and lean on them. This forced me to sit up straight and stop slouching all over my work. In other words, I kicked the elbow leaning habit. :apple:

Good luck to you!

[avery]

I've found that things with lactic acid or AHA work really well. AmLactin at the drugstore is very good. Something else that might help is Corn Husker Lotion, found at most drug stores. The name is exactly what it implies. It was developed for those who shucked corn for a living and developed calloses. It's not the most glamourous but it is very effective.

[tess]

I'm post menopausal and have the same thing. Guess it's lack of estrogen. I actually scrubbed it using mineral oil and bounty. Also scrubbed the skin away. This dry spot stays dirty. How it gets dirty I don't know. Both my elbows are like that. Now I'm using Coconut Oils. :drool:

[Shermie Girl]

My right elbow is dryer than my left. I just remember to hit it with a little jojoba oil when I oil my hair and use a rich hand lotion on my elbows and that helps keep it almost as soft as my left. :grinhappy:

[physicschick]

The patch came back again, and yes, I'm still leaning on my elbows. I just wanted to say that I tried a brown sugar scrub on it (brown sugar with enough oils added to make a paste), and it was great! The spot isn't gone, but the improvement was rapid--equivalent to many days' worth of lotion. Probably the exfoliation is allowing my lotion to get down to the skin where it's needed.

--physicschick

[PAZO2FAN]

I've had problems for years with my right elbow being very dry, rough, and painfull. I can rarely wear long sleeve shirts because the fabric catches onto the dry patch and bothers its. The left elbow is a little dry but not nearly as bad. I've tried many different lotions but it just comes back within hours or even just minutes. The only thing I have ever found to work great is a cream called Glysolid. It works wonders. After just one application, it gets my elbow soft again. If I would remember to apply it daily. I'd probably be able to get rid of the whole dry elbow problem. They have a website www.glysolid.com (http://www.glysolid.com) They even give a free sample, you just have to pay for shipping.

[justgreen]

I've been using Eucerin foot cream on my elbows and they are wonderfully soft and supple.

[rossjen]

I had the same sort of patch on my right elbow due to leaning on that arm when I am on the computer. I didn't even realize I was doing it most of the time. Consistent moisturizing with shea butter or a heavy oil and being training myself to not lean on that elbow really helped. After a couple of months, the patch disappeared.

[NephthysWrath]

Just to throw this out there. Hydrogen peroxide doesn't really kill anything. The bubbling is how it reacts to certain enzymes. It's splitting into water and oxygen. If you think there's an infection, you're better off with alcohol or a topical antibiotic.

[Carolyn]

I've had good luck with exfoliating well with a salt or sugar scrub and a net scrubbie and then using an oil such as EVOO with a drop of TTO in it.

Why would you have to clean the tub after an Epson salt bath? I just rinse it. I never really clean it. But I'm a lazy slob :ooh: