The extremes in temperature can do all sorts of funny things to our skin. Be it icy cold climates come winter time, or ultra-hot heat waves like we've been seeing recently, the skin on our face and body can react differently, and in particular, can become very dry. An area that is especially perceptive to these changes is the elbows, which are already some of the driest on our bodies. Knowing how to treat dry or rough elbows can be confusing, which is why I did some research to discover the top tips surrounding this issue.
So why do we get dry elbows in the first place? "Skin on the elbow is significantly different to other skin on your body," Dr Mervyn Patterson, cosmetic dermatologist at Woodford Medical told Good Housekeeping. "It tends to be much thicker so as to be able to withstand mechanical stretching, and is drier because this area has significantly fewer sebaceous glands, the oil-secreting parts of the skin." The skin around the elbows produces less lipids that keep our skin moisturised. Issues such as eczema, hormonal changes, and bodily dehydration can be behind particularly dry elbows, but it's an area many of us will find to be dry in general.
Take a look at these helpful tips in order to keep elbows looking and feeling their best: