Having itchy elbows can be annoying and frustrating. The elbow is bony, and doesn’t contain a lot of flesh, and you may not find it easy to scratch when you have itchiness, which is not recommended, anyway. Different conditions can make the elbows to itch. You may want to find out what’s causing it and if there are any other symptoms accompanying the itchiness like flaky or scaly patches.
Itchy Elbows – Causes
Many conditions can make the elbows to itch ranging from psoriasis, a fungal infection, to atopic dermatitis and pruritus. Below are some common causes of itchy elbows:
Psoriasis: In psoriasis, the skin cells tend to multiply faster than normal, say up to 10 times faster. When cells reach the skin’s surface and die, if there is an increased volume of dying cells, it can cause raised, red plaques with a white scaly covering. Psoriasis may occur on knees, elbows, and in scalp. It can also affect the palms, torso, and soles. So if you have itchy, scaly patches forming on elbows, it could be a case of psoriasis. The symptoms may vary depending on the type or form of psoriasis. The most common one that may cause itchy elbows is plaque psoriasis and it presents with symptoms like:
- Plaques of reddened skin covered with some loose, silvery scales
- Itchy and painful lesions
- Cracking and bleeding of the lesions, at times
- Merging of plaques to form one large area
Psoriasis can be discomforting and often disfiguring and difficulty to treat. While it’s not understand what causes psoriasis, there are certain triggers like stress, skin injury, dry climates, cold, and some infections and medications. The severity of psoriasis is signified by the level and intensity of scaling, redness, and thickness of raised skin plaques.
Atopic dermatitis: This is another possible cause for itchy elbows. It is a bothersome condition that makes the skin to be dry around areas like the face, neck, knees, and elbows. The condition can result in incessant scratching. Modern scholars believe that a Union general at time of Civil War, Henry Wager Halleck may have had atopic dermatitis (AD) since he constantly scratched his elbows. The habit of scratching displayed by Henry Wager Halleck was so excessive such that the Secretary of Navy serving along with the general made complaints about it as shown in his published diary.
Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH): This is a difficult condition for individual’s to live with. It presents with a rash and itching occurring on knees, back, scalp, buttocks, and elbows. The rash may most likely indicate an individual’s intolerance to gluten. The intolerance to gluten may be caused by some serious underlying conditions like celiac disease. Dermatitis herpetiformis may sometimes be referred to as gluten rash or Duhring’s disease. A person having this rash should have a strict gluten free diet.
Although from the rash’s name, it may seem that it’s caused by some strain of herpes virus, that isn’t the case. The rash isn’t associated with herpes. It mainly occurs in people suffering from celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disorder linked to an individual’s intolerance to gluten. This protein gluten may be found in barley, rye, wheat, and at times in oats processed in plants handling other grains. About 15 to 25 percent of individuals who have celiac disease also have dermatitis herpetiformis.
Dry elbows: Your elbows may be so dry that they begin to itch. If you spend time in swimming pool, the chlorine may cause dryness of elbows something that could contribute to itching. If the temperatures drop in the area you reside, it may also be a culprit for dry elbows hence itching. Being in a cool, dry weather sucks moisture from the skin. Run-of-the-mill skin irritation may also be associated with dry elbows. Ingredients in some lotions, perfumes, and soaps can cause skin irritation. Having hot showers or baths may also dry out an individual’s skin. Sometimes, having dry skin could point to an underlying condition like psoriasis or eczema.
Pruritus: This is an unpleasant sensation causing a person to want to scratch their skin. Pruritus or itching can be localized or it can be generalized. If there is a rash occurring along with pruritus, an underlying condition may be a culprit. However, if there is pruritus or itching sensation and no associated rash, it can become difficult to know what it is and how to treat it.
Itching occurs when you have the nerve fibers within the skin sending message to the brain. Itching (referring to pruritus) and pain tend to be closely related sensations. The same nerve that transmits pain to brain is also the one that relays itching or pruritus to brain. Pruritus may be associated to a skin problem or disease of an individual’s body. Localized itching is mainly caused by a skin condition affecting that area.
Generalized itching is much more related to conditions affecting the whole body or systemic disease. Apart from the various causes of itching, there is also the scratch-itch cycle, which in itself leads to more itching. There are times when you scratch the skin because it’s itchy, you aggravate the itching or it’s more intense.
Brachoradial pruritus: This is also known as the itchy elbow syndrome and it presents with a stinging, burning, horrible itch occurring above or below the outside parts of an individual’s elbows. The itching comes suddenly and has a nasty itchy sensation. The cause of itchy elbow syndrome isn’t always understood, but it’s though that exposure to UV light affects the sensory nerves that trigger the itching sensation.
Other conditions that may cause itchy elbows are:
- Contact dermatitis
- Scabies
- Pemphigoid
- Allergy reactions
Treatment for Itchy Elbows
Treating itchy elbows is primarily based on what causes the problem. If you are allergic to certain ingredients found in creams, soaps and other skincare products, you may want to avoid them. Environmental factors causing itchiness of elbows like cool, dry weather may be counteracted by applying moisturizers. Dryness of skin often makes it feel itchy and using skin moisturizers can help resolve the problem. You can use creams and lotions containing olive oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and petroleum jelly.
Dry elbows can occur when you spend too much time in water. You may want to limit the duration you spend taking showers or bathing. Lowering the water temperature may also help because hot water takes moisture away from the skin. Using scented soap and body wash may also dry out a person’s skin, so it would be important to go for the fragrance-free soaps.
For the case of dermatitis herpetiformis, an antibiotic known as dapsone may help with treatment. This is a powerful drug that can have serious side effects and it should be used cautiously. The dose should be slowly titrated over several months to have full effect. People taking dapsone may have side effects like anemia, liver problems, muscle weakness, and sensitivity to sunlight.
Psoriasis may be treated using medication and light therapy. It is not advised for an individual to scratch the skin because it will cause a psoriasis flare up or outbreak. Medications include salicylic acid ointment that helps smoothen the skin through shedding of scales associated with psoriasis. Salicylic acid however may induce skin irritation or weaken hair shaft. It can be absorbed in the body causing side effects. Steroid based creams help reduce itching and inflammation. They block excessive cells production that tends to occur in psoriasis.
