It seems to me that I’ve dealt with cracked elbows my entire adolescence but, I discovered throughout the years, that doesn’t have to be so.
Elbows can be smooth and soft looking just as all the rest of our body.
I also have very pointy elbows as many others have pointed out in my lifetime but that’s something I can’t changed. I can however deal with my cracked elbows quite easily and that’s what we’re going to talk about today.
Let’s see how we can deal with having cracked dry elbows without spending too much time on the matter. We have other things to worry about besides the very dry skin on our elbows.
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How to Deal with Cracked Elbows: Simple Solutions
As I already mentioned, the focus of dealing with dry elbows is on simple solutions. On things that don’t need too much effort and don’t cost a lot of money.
What has helped me a great deal was simply moisturizing daily after a shower with a nourishing rich body lotion. I started moisturizing because my body was itchy and red and my legs were flaky after taking a shower.
I also noticed that the whole-body moisturizing also helped my cracked elbows and heels a great deal.
You can start off by just doing that, massaging your regular body lotion into your elbows.
1. Moisturize
What is the first thing we think about when it comes to dry skin?
Moisturizing it. Nourishing it somehow. Sealing the moisture into the skin. Delivering moisture to an area that our body doesn’t seem to want to produce or is incapable of producing.
In order to make dry skin smooth we need to nourish and sooth it and a topical cream is exactly the first solution that comes to our mind.
There are a few very good creams for cracked elbows. I’m just going to recommend a few.
Best Lotions for Dry Elbows
Just as I said, you can try using your regular body lotion but it might not get your elbows as smooth as you’d like. It’s still a lot better that not doing anything.
Or you can try a lotion for dry elbows, these ones are very effective and definitely above what a body moisturizer can do.
1. Aquaphor Healing Ointment
This product is famous for its ability to restore any cracked skin.
People use it for their very dry hands, heels, elbows. It can even be used for chapped lips. On any other area that seems impossibly dry to you can use the power of the Aquaphor Healing Ointment for its restoration to a smooth blissful state.
You get a big 14 oz jar for a pretty low price. It’s bound to last for a year at least.
Why does it work? Because its active ingredient is petrolatum (41%). It’s what we also know as the good old Vaseline.
Where applied, it creates a barrier for the skin, protecting it from water and air, and allowing the skin to repair itself. Nothing works better. You should try this best lotion for dry elbows first.
You can apply it in the evening and leave it on until morning.
2. Vaseline Jelly
If you’re looking for a 100% white petrolatum product, this is it. It’s an intense product that will heal cracked hands and dry skin, it can be used for cracked elbows, too.
For an incredibly low price, you get 3 jars, 13 oz, you can’t get a better offer than that.
3. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Unlike the above, this is the kind of very nourishing body lotion that everyone with dry sensitive skin needs to use after every shower.
The Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is for very dry sensitive skin. It’s an excellent lotion for the whole body and, if you use it daily, your elbows will be prevented from getting dry no matter the change in seasons or the changes brought by on aging.
The quantity you get, 20 oz, for such a cheap price is another reason to be thoroughly impressed.
This body cream also contains petrolatum. Other ingredients are sweet almond oil and vitamin E.
The important feature of body creams is that they also restore the skin barrier, which is important for preventing moisture loss. It’s why the skin maintain its smoothness throughout the year, although most of us do have to use it daily.
2. Exfoliate: DIY Scrub for Dry Elbows
Exfoliating dry skin is always a wonderful idea. It works for the face, the lips, the legs, and it definitely is a good idea for dealing with dry skin on the elbows.
You can use a body scrub, like the Tree Hut Body Scrub or even make your own scrub from sugar (brown if you have) and honey.
To make a body scrub for your elbows: mix 1 part honey and 2 parts sugar and massage the mixture into your dry skin (with this proportion you can do as much as you need). You can also leave it on for about 10 minutes and then rinse.
Honey is a natural humectant, which is why it would be very good if you could let this simple scrub sit on your elbows for a few minutes from time to time.
You can use the scrub 2-3 times a week.
I don’t recommend using a body brush on dry flaky skin because it will be too harsh for most people, making them sore and inflicting micro-tears. A gentle scrub will work much better for longer.
3. Use Body Washes for Sensitive Skin
Before talking about the importance of picking out the right body washes, I just want to recommend another thing: I don’t take hot showers because they really dry out my skin. Hot water is not good for dry skin.
Harsh body washes or soaps can strip the skin of its good oils, stripping the moisture from the skin.
Try using gentle body washes that will nourish the skin during a shower with lukewarm water or just above lukewarm to feel pleasant during the cold months.
There are plenty of hydrating body washes and their prices are affordable so, there’s no reason not to pick one as soon as you can.
Those using a body wash with benzoyl peroxide for their body acne don’t have any option of choosing a gentle body wash, which is why they must compensate with an intense moisturizing routine after the shower.
Why Do We Get Cracked Elbows?
There are quite a number of reasons for suffering from very dry skin on the elbows. But some can be reduced to something like: I was born this way or I’m getting old.
There are different stages to cracked elbows:
- they can appear as flaky cracked skin that doesn’t cause discomfort
- or they can turn into something uncomfortable by getting itchy or sore
- and can even turn into cracked bleeding skin
It’s not hard to imagine that untreated dry elbows can crack and hurt since we bend our arms constantly hundreds of time during the day.
Having Dry Skin Translates into Having Cracked Elbows
People who have sensitive dry skin on their face and body are not at all surprised that their elbows have particularly dry abrasive skin. It’s something to be expected.
Just as they are not surprised that their heels crack easily if they don’t take care of that particular area, either.
Cracked heels are something that I need to be especially aware of during the summer when I wear mostly slippers, while cracked elbows are something that I need to take care of preventing during the winter.
Some seem to have smooth beautiful elbows without even trying or doing anything for that. Some, like myself, have to work extra-hard to achieve something that to others comes naturally.
Cool Dry Weather
One very obvious reason for getting dry elbows is a dry environment. The cool months are particularly adapt at sucking the moisture from our skin.
It’s why we need topical creams (moisturizers) that pull the moisture from the air and lock it into our skin. We’re reversing the process.
Taking Hot Showers
Hot water can remove essential oils from the skin. Just like cold weather, it will easily dry out the skin.
Getting Old
As we age, our bodies tend to lose sweat and oil glands. Fewer oil glands means dry skin. That can be another reason for cracked elbows but now we know how to smooth out dry elbow skin.
