Bumps on elbows? These kinds of bumps that form on elbows can be from variety of causes that can range from a skin rash to abscesses. They can range in size from very tiny to very large. Some may be so tiny that you mistake them for a skin rash but when looking at them closely you can see that the rash is made of tiny bumps clumped together.
Some of these spots on elbows can be treated with home remedies while others may require a visit to your dermatologist or physician for treatment. If the bumps on elbows do not respond to home treatment, or appear to become worse you should also seek medical treatment. Having bumps on your elbows is not very common but it does happen regardless of age, gender, or race.
Causes of Bumps on Elbows
Your elbows, like other parts of your skin, are particularly subjected to scaling and dryness. When wearing a sleeveless or short sleeve shirt your elbow comes into contact with many different irritations during the course of a day. This makes them susceptible to contact dermatitis, which is brought on by an allergic reaction to something that your elbow has made contact with during the day.
Viral infections
Viral infections can strike a local area of your body and cause a rash, blisters, inflammation, and bumps. If this is the cause it can last for several days and then go away on its own.
Rash
A rash has resultant bumps that can be caused by many things such as a bacterial or fungal infection or no infection at all but other things.
Atopic dermatitis
This is a form of eczema and is a hereditary skin condition. It is a type of rash that often affects children. This type of dermatitis is often associated with some type of allergy such as to cosmetics, detergents, or foods.
Psoriasis
This is a skin disorder that will often affect parts of your body where there is an accumulation of dry skin, such as your elbows. Oily skin can also be affected but dry skin is more susceptible.
Two of the symptoms are red scaly patches or bumps on elbows that tends to be a chronic condition that comes and goes. To help treat the areas of your skin that has psoriasis you should apply moisturizer several times a day.
Many times an outbreak can be aggravated by smoking, alcohol consumption, and stress. Treatment is a long-term situation. It can also be caused when your immune system is compromised or weakened, not allowing your skin cells to slough off more than they should.
Non-itchy Bumps on Elbows Causes
Cysts
These are sac-like growths that can contain semi-solid, liquid, or gaseous substances. Cysts can range from so tiny that you can only see them through a microscope or they can be quite large.
Cysts can be caused by many different things such as obstruction in your blood flow, tumors, chronic inflammatory conditions, or infections. Usually they are not harmful and will many times go away on their own. If they are very large they could interfere with your life and may have to be medically drained or surgically excised.
Lyme disease
This is a medical condition that is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is cause by a tick bite. At the site of the tick bite you may notice a small red bump and after a few days you will notice the redness increasing and start to form a bull’s eye pattern. The best form of treatment is to take appropriate antibiotics, especially in the early stages so the infection does not spread.
Granuloma annulare
This is also known as necrotic papulosis. It manifests itself in red bumps on elbows that are not itchy and occur in circular shaped rings. It mainly affects young adults and children with girls being more affected than boys are. What causes this medical condition is not known. It will usually go away on its own in a few weeks, to several months but it can recur. Although treatment is usually not needed you can treat it with topical steroid ointments and creams to help clear up the bumps.
what are these Itchy Bumps on Elbows?
Dermatitis herpetiformis
This is a very common cause of bumps that occur on elbows and is also a chronic skin condition. It is easier to treat this skin condition than psoriasis or eczema. The main symptoms are blisters or bumps that are filled with a watery fluid. It is more common in women and men in their mid-teens to middle age. These bumps can be as large as a half inch across. The itching with this skin condition can be quite severe at times.
Scabies
This medical condition is caused by tiny mites that have burrowed under your skin where the skin folds or where you wear tight clothing. Forming bumps on elbows is a common occurrence for mites. These types of red bumps can become very itchy. It is a contagious medical condition and is spread through human contact. Worldwide every year it affects almost three hundred million people. It is treated with prescription medications.
Poison ivy/oak
This is a reaction to the oily allergen that is present in the stems, roots, and leaves of these plants. Where you have a reaction you will notice red skin blisters accompanied by intense itching. To help with the itching you can use an over-the-counter anti-itch medication. If it is a severe case your dermatologist or physician may give you a prescription for a stronger anti-itch medication.
If you have itchy red bumps on elbows a general home remedy that you can use is to make a paste of water and baking soda and apply it to the affected area. You can also rub ice cubes over the itchy area.
Olecranon bursitis
When a person has bursitis it is an inflammation of small sacs of fluids that help your joints move smoothly. With this medical condition it affects your olecranon bursa, which is located at the back of your elbow. It is sometimes called Popeye elbow because the bumps on elbows that develop looks like the cartoon characters Popeye elbow. It can be caused by a sudden injury like a blow to your elbow that can cause fluid build-up or bleeding, infection, or inflammation from an inflammatory condition.
Boils
These are deep skin infections that are localized to one certain spot on your body. They are not a dangerous skin infection but they can be unsightly and painful. These can develop for many different reasons but all have a common factor, which is the development of some type of infection in your skin that is localized to that area. They can develop if you have a hair that becomes ingrown in a hair follicle, a broken area on your skin such as having a splinter, or other infections.
They develop because the bacteria that has invaded your skin has infected the deeper layers of your skin If the boil is very large you should see your dermatologist or physician to have it lanced and the fluid inside drawn out.
Abscesses
This is an infected, inflamed nodule that is filled with pus and can cause bumps on elbows. If you do not have it treated it can rupture, allowing the infection in the nodule to spread. It is often a hard, raised nodule and mostly occurs below the surface of your skin. It is initiated by the introduction of some type of foreign matter like a sliver of glass, a wooden splinter, etc. When the area becomes irritated it will have a reddish hue along with tenderness in the area. It may also feel warm to the touch.
Insect Bites
Many times when a person has an insect bite their skin will react to the toxins that were injected into their body by the insect that bit them, causing red, itchy, swollen skin bumps on the bitten site. You can have a reaction to a variety of insects such as mites, mosquitoes, fleas, bed bugs, spiders, and more. If you are not sure what type of insect bit you then you may need to see your physician for treatment if home remedies do not seem to help
If you are not sure what has caused the bumps on elbows it is best to see your physician or dermatologist to find out the cause so if treatment it needed the right one can be started. For the itchy bumps, try to avoid scratching them as it can cause a secondary skin infection.
Small Bumps on Elbows Meaning
The elbows often become exposed to irritants from soaps, clothing or sun. They likewise are vulnerable to pressure-sensitive skin inflammations.
Any number of medical conditions and ecological factors can add to the formation of small red bumps on the elbows that can become quite uncomfortable.
The elbows can have spots on which scabies appears, and the mites cause tiny red bumps that become seriously itchy. This condition is extremely contagious and generally spreads through human contact.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the condition scabies influences almost 300 million individuals worldwide every year. Extreme scratching can cause infections, however scabies is easily treated with prescription medications.
When the immune system is damaged or is otherwise compromised, skin cells do not constantly slough off as they ought to and small raised bumps might form on the elbows. The condition called psoriasis is not contagious and normally runs in households.
How about those Raised Bumps on Elbows
Just as the rest of your body’s skin, you elbows can be affected by those small raised bumps. Any number of medical conditions and ecological factors can add to the development of small red and white bumps on the elbows that can become rather uncomfortable and rather painful.
Elbow lumps can happen to anyone. Often, elbow lumps are the result of an injury, such as a blow to the elbow. These kinds of lumps may result from inflammation, poor healing of a broken bone, or a skin growth, such as a cyst or tumor. Inflammation of the elbow can result from tendinitis, bursitis, sports injury, sprains, strains, arthritis, or infections within the joint. Growths can be either benign or cancerous in nature.
When Bumps on Elbow are not Itchy
You can be faced by a bump on elbow that is not itchy. There are some common conditions that are very friendly on your elbows and some of them may even disappear without your intervention.
Cysts can range from so tiny that you can only see them through a microscope or they can be quite large. Cysts can be caused by many different things such as obstruction in your blood flow, tumors, chronic inflammatory conditions, or infections. Usually they are not harmful and will many times go away on their own. If they are very large they could interfere with your life and may have to be medically drained or surgically excised.
Lyme disease is another condition that is characterized by bumps on elbows that are not itchy. As discussed above, it is a medical condition that is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is cause by a tick bite. At the site of the tick bite you may notice a small red bump and after a few days you will notice the redness increasing and start to form a bull’s eye pattern.
You may as well develop white spots on your elbows that are not inflamed, or don’t cause you discomfort. There are numerous conditions that are responsible for this too, for you to be sure of the cause, it is very important to be examined by your skin doctor if you are not sure.
For example, shingle is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, which is the varicella-zoster virus. Even after you get over the chickenpox some of the strains of the virus remains in your body and when it flares up it can cause a burning rash that is made of many small red or white bumps that don’t itch.
Reasons for Itchy Bumps on Elbows and Knees
Atopic dermatitis or eczema is an itchy, red, scaling oozing or crusting rash appearing in persons prone to asthma and hay fever.
It runs in families. In infants, it usually affects the outer sides, and in older children and adults the inner sides of knees, elbows and often other parts of the skin. Flare-ups that come and go are characteristic for an acute eczema, and pigmented plaque for a chronic eczema.
Small itchy bumps can also appear in all parts of the body after tanning. However, they are more usually found in the areas, such as the stomach, chest, the elbows and knees that are more exposed to the harmful ultraviolet rays for a longer period of time.
These bumps are brought about by excessive exposure to the UV rays. Lighter skinned people are also much prone to the formation of the itchy red bumps occurring on the elbow, knees and the areas where the skin will naturally crease. Allergic reaction that occurs due to the tanning lotion can also lead to the bumps on the elbow.
How to Get Rid of Bumps on Elbows
Getting rid of your prickly skin requires more moisture and a lot of gentle abrasion. With persistence you can soothe your damaged epidermis back to soft supple smoothness. Here are some important steps you can follow to restore your back arms skin.
Step 1
Wash the affected area daily using a tablespoon of a moisturizing body wash that contains no fragrance. Use small circular motions and a washcloth to massage the skin gently. Avoid bar soaps or any random body wash that contains sulfates, which will dry the skin out further and make the bumps worse. Rinse the scrub off well using warm water.
Step 2
Squeeze out a tablespoon of a mild exfoliating cream that contains glycolic and lactic acids. Massage the cream over the bumps on elbows with your fingers, making small circular motions to help remove the dead, dry skin. Continue massaging for 30 to 60 seconds, and then rinse the scrub off well using warm water.
Step 3
Pat your skin dry gently using a towel just until most of the moisture is gone. Apply a tablespoon of moisturizing lotion to the bumpy areas immediately before your skin dries. Massage the cream in well using your hands.
Step 4
Repeat the washing, exfoliating and moisturizing once per day until the bumpy appearance subsides, which can take two or three weeks. Afterward, reduce exfoliation to once per week, but continue moisturizing daily.
Home Remdies Treatment
Atopic eczema can be easily treated using medications, including the over-the-counter creams and ointments that have the steroid hydrocortisone. These products may also assist to control the level of itching, the swelling, and redness associated with the eczema. Prescription-strength cortisone creams, together with cortisone pills and shots, are also applied for very severe cases of eczema.
Home remedies
Currently, there is no developed and effective method for prevention of bumps on elbows, but the signs and symptoms of the condition may be improved. Besides that, you can utilize some home remedies for the removal of bumps from knees and elbows as follows:
Lemon Juice
A small number of drops of lemon juice perform well, when applied on the pimple. Despite the fact that it can lead to a touch of tingling, it assists to bring down inflammation and swelling. Ensure that you apply only fresh lemon juice and not the packaged ones.
Toothpaste
Toothpaste is a very extraordinary way of treatment to get rid of bumps. Also, it is found in every house and you do not need to go out to the supermarket. Toothpaste is best used as a catch up to the icing to bring about the quickest comes about. It is important to note that the white toothpaste must be used instead of the gel toothpaste to get rid of bumps. You can also find how to get rid of bumps using floss and mouthwash.
Apply some toothpaste to the affected parts of the skin before quaint little inn overnight, wash using cold water in the morning to treat bumps.
Orange Peels
As shown by Cosmetic Dermatologist Principles and Practice that is expressed in the sense that the causticity and vitamin C substance in oranges makes it to become a flawless cure for acnes.
Milk and Honey
A mixture of these two ingredients forms a unique formula for the removal of bumps on elbows. Obtain and let yogurt or milk come to room temperature so that you don’t get a chilly shock when you put it on the skin. Mix about 1 tablespoon of milk or yogurt thoroughly with 1 tablespoon of honey.
You can use the mixture with a cotton pad, but scooping it up and patting it on works just fine as perfect. Let each layer dry before adding a new one, until the mask is the thickness that you want.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera gel can be used directly on the affected skin area to get rid of bumps. Aloe Vera has anti-inflammatory as well as anti-bacterial properties and assists to reduce the redness and skin irritation. Utilize enough amount of aloe vera gel to mask the bumps while also doing spot treatment.
Exfoliation/Scrubbing
This is the removal of dead skin cells that causes rough elbows. Natural sugar scrub is the best for skin exfoliation. You can also consider the drugstore type as well. Here is how to use;
Take exactly three table spoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk powder as well as one tablespoon of honey, mix the ingredients together and scrub the mixture over the face for little number of minutes and rinse it off after about 15 minutes.