Odd Pregnancy Symptom #6,701 - The Mysterious Crusty Elbow

I've heard women talk about some pretty strange pregnancy symptoms. And while I can't say I've ever craved cigarette ashes or hair, I've sucked down my fair share of Taco Bell hot sauce packets.

But with all the odd pregnancy complaints, I've never heard any woman admit to having the rough, scratchy 85-year-old man elbow symptom. I suppose it's not that surprising since it seems like most pregnancy symptoms can be seen on most men over 70 -- weird hair growth, oddly placed skin tags, and the growing belly that requires suspenders.

Of course, the whole situation was made worse by the fact that I discovered the damn elbow when it snagged one of my favorite maternity shirts.

That's right. It's not enough that I now have to shop from the forbidden "Size 11" shoe rack that they keep way in the back of store away from the other pretty nice tiny shoes.

My nasty dry elbow snagged my shirt.

I'm a bit embarrassed that I haven't noticed sooner, in fact, I instantly thought of all the rubbing elbows I did at BlogHer and imagined that's why so many bloggers said they saw me but emailed later to tell me that they didn't get a chance to say "hi." They masked their disgust with my elbow as "intimidation."

But since it was a summery 45 degrees in San Francisco, my elbows were actually covered the whole entire time (Thank God) by a sweater.

What's even worse about this whole elbow debacle is that I slather my body in tubes of overpriced "this better fucking work" big pregnant woman lotion every night, and yet, I still have the mysterious moisture repelling left elbow.

I've tried Vaseline, Aquaphor, hell, even Neosporin, and I'm about to just cover it with a bandaid so I at least don't obsess about it all day long and my husband won't complain about it waking him up at night.

Of course, there's always KY Jelly or Astroglide. I figure if it works on those chapped lips, then it might just work on my freaky elbow.

Comments

[Mariah LA]

I have had oily skin my entire life but now, in the sixth month of my second pregnancy, I am experiencing very dry patches of skin on my forehead and my upper cheeks on either side of my nose. I tried ignoring it, but it just got worse and worse and my skin began to crack and flake. It was especially visible when I put on my makeup. So I began to try to not wear makeup as much, but have very pale skin and need some extra help so as not to look sickly.

I found about Made from Earth skin care from my doctor, and he recommended their Aloe & Jojoba Cream Therapy. Its a body lotion in a large bottle. I put a little dab on my forehead (no makeup that day): no burning, it penetrated my skin, felt silky and dewy -- but not greasy -- and I could see and feel the difference right away. My dry skin was much less visible, stopped itching and looked and felt almost normal. As I said, I have oily skin prone to breakout so I was shy about using a "body lotion cream".This product is PERFECT for my needs and, since a little goes a long way, will last a long time.

[Omar Faruq]

Ah, body butter. I go through so much of this stuff trying to keep my skin well hydrated, especially in the 100+ degree weather we've been having here for the last few weeks.More various body butter visit: www.vegantreeowl.com.au

[kts fertilizer]

Does taking medicine affect the health of pregnant women?

http://www.firsturf.com/

[seo services]

Uhmmm. That is why my wifey keeps on telling me about this.

[ugg outlet store]

If your Riches are yours , why don't you take them with you to the other world ?

[Julie @ The Mom Slant]

Kiehl's. This tub of golden yellow cream softened the mysterious crusty spot on my right foot. (Of course now that the cream is gone, the spot is back. But it worked like nothing else ever did.)

[amanda]

It may not help how it feels, but I say make like Madonna and rock fishnets on your arms or bicep length glamour gloves. I swear we'll all forgive you your elbow :)

[Issa]

LOL. I will make sure to not look too long at your elbows at BH, less you get a complex. I will just write about it later. ;)

Have you ever tried, Pretty Hands, Pretty Feet? It's this weird, un-crustifying stuff that they sell at Walgreens. It should help.

[ClumberKim]

I have crusty elbow too. The only thing that has worked is my daughter's eczema grease or lansinoh.

[www.aroundthewww.com]

Sheeeesh..all the complains and grumbles of pregnancy...reminds me of a post I stumbled upon -http://www.aroundthewww.com/pregnancy-tips-advices/grumbles-of-a-pregnant-woman/..Pregnancy sure is always an issue.

[Amy]

I know I'm a little late to this party but definitely sounds like eczema to me. I get that frequently, on my elbows, around my eyes and on my ear. Cortisone cream works great.

[Stimey]

I don't want to be all, "Hey, you have this medical issue," but here I go: Have you looked into psoriasis? It could be any of the other things, and probably is, especially because psoriasis sometimes get better when you're pregnant, but it often occurs on elbows and knees and whatnot.

[anonlurkermom]

we call elizabeth arden eight hour cream "magic creame" in our house. great for elbows, lips, kid's wierd rashes, etc. probably too pricey, but a little goes a long way.

[CHAR]

LOL!!! I am SO glad I am not the only one that got this from being pregnant! My ankles too... God Bless ur precious heart, Kristen. LOL...

[Anita]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this. But Borage Skin Therapy works wonders for eczema or dermatitis skin conditions. http://www.shikai.com/products/borage.htm
I've been able to find it easily at both Whole Foods and GNC. This worked wonders for me. Incidentally, with my 1st child I ended up with the same thing you have. But it was on my ankle. I could NEVER get it to go away. My Dr finally suggested this cream to me. It has helped tremendously. Unfortunately, it seems like the eczema returns in episodes for me. One of my kids gets it too. Thankfully, we use this and it keeps it from becoming painful and scaly. Good Luck and hope you get some relief from it soon.

[Sam]

Your crusty pregnant elbow is my crusty zit-ridden rashy peeling pregnant FACE. MY FACE HAS A RASH. Now with moar zits! GAHHHH.

[Pencils]

I've never had dry elbows before, not even in the dead of winter, and then I noticed a few weeks ago that mine are awful. And it's summer! I've been using Mama Mio tummy oil--fabulous stuff, BTW, I get terrible stretch marks, have since I got my boobs at age 12, and I don't have any on my pregnant belly yet and I'm 34 weeks now. On the itchy parts of my belly, my belly button and the very lowest spot, I've found that putting Aquaphor on top of the oil works. Neither works along, as to be both. Anyway, before I wash my hands, I smear the oily/Aquaphor-y glop left on my elbows. Seems to have helped quite a bit.

[Issa]

Pretty Hands and Feet is what I use. I think I got it at Walgreens, it's some crazy expensive shit, but it tends to work.

Mine is hair on my toes. I've always been a hairy person, but that is just the weirdest thing to discover...well my husband discovered. not sure I remember the last time I saw my feet.

[Holly]

ah yes - the scaly elbow thing. It appeared during pregnancy with 2nd child. 2nd child is now 10 years old, and I still have it on the left elbow. I've tried just about everything suggested here. They all work. For a short time. If I don't continue X treatment, scales return. So I threw in the towel. Which probably explains why husband decided a few years back we needed to switch sides in the bed. Used be on my left, now he's on my right. With this freaky left elbow, I guess I should be happy he is there at all! :-)

[ioio]

i'm not shitting you, try urea cream on the elbow. (i'm sure you'll say it's cheaper to pee on your elbow, but the sloughing off of cells from urea has helped my own personal elbow ailments and has been recommended to me by a derm).

[Angel]

You guys are complicated. I just use the outside part of my Ped-Egg.

[Anissa@Hope4Peyton]

Here's me totally admitting that I had crusty elbows too, they've never quite been right after my 3rd child. I did find a way to make them "better" though. I had to soak them in hot water for about 15 minutes, then scrubbed them with a sugar scrub and then got some of Avon's callous cream for FEET, then wrap then up in...and I kid you not..saran wrap over night. I did this about once a week, don't remember where I read it, but it actually helped quite a bit. Good luck! I promise your sweet new baby isn't going to give a hot damn what your elbows look like and that makes it all worthwhile.

[Anniemom]

Bag Balm. Green tin, ordinarily for cows (nice) but you can get it at the drugstore. It's mega-heavy duty. Here's what I did: slather that nasty stuff around your elbow and cover it up with a bandage for the night. By morning, there will be a beanstalk in your yard - - I mean, the elbow will be once again as smooth as - - an elbow? Really, it works.

[jonniker]

What is this overpriced pregnant lady cream? Do I need it?

[Wendy]

Crap. I shoulda read all the comments first! I thought I was being original. Try the lanolin though. Obviously it works for more than me. =)

[Wendy]

I used to have problems with my elbows being dark and dry and rough. I obsessed over it for years until I finally found something that worked.

Try Lansinoh or any of those other thick, sludgy, lanolin based products. Do it for a few days and I promise it will bet better!

http://notesfromthesleepdeprived.blogspot.com

[Amy @Taste Like Crazy]

My heels sound a heck of a lot like your elbows. I bought Callex [ http://www.xenna.com/product_callex.html ]from Target and my heels were MUCH better within two days and after a week they looked normal.

[Theresa]

I got planters warts. All over my feet. My doctor said "oh it is a preg. thing. They will go away after you have the baby!" No way I thought. But they did. Creepy. And to think our bodies are designed for this...

[Jamie E]

ewww, My favorite thing is how with each child my elbows get pointier. I suppose to keep them awake for church or to nudge the hubs at night when the baby is crying?

[Multi-Tasking Mommy]

I had the same thing happen to my knees when I was pregnant with my first and guess what?!? It took me getting pregnant with my second to get rid of the problem. I tried every cream in the book, I saw a dermatologist and nothing happened. It was hormones and now I'm curious to see if it is gone forever.

The doc said it was a form of psoriasis.

Honestly, it was the worst because my dry knees would snag on my Lululemon pants...argh!

Good luck :)

[Claudious]

I think my wife had something like that, in the end she used a file, and soaked it in some wax that's supposed to take off dead skin. I like the idea of your trying the KY on it better though.

[Jen]

OMG. I had the same symptom when pregnant this past year, but I thought it was just the winter thing. It was one elbow. I just rubbed mine and they are back to normal. I used neosporin, but it didn't really work. Maybe it's a perma-pregnancy symptom and birth is the cure? Hope you can soften them up!

[dysfunctional mom]

An old friend of mine craved, and ate, baby powder when she was pregnant.
You made me rub MY elbows to make sure they weren't crusty!
Good luck getting it uncrustified.

[Manic Mommy]

I totally agree with the lanosil but cut the toe off a cotton sock and place it around your elbow (kinda like opera gloves only, um not) after applying your potion of choice.

[Kathy]

Just wanted to say I'm so glad I found your blog! I'm also a former music professor (well, this is my last semester) turned mom. I too have read my share about "that Mozart dude." :O

[amanda]

2 suggestions.

Either the stuff you buy for dry cracked heels, or if you want to try a non foot product, cut a lemon in half and stick your elbows in the lemon halves, rubbing them around as if you were squeezing the lemon with your elbows. Just don't drink the juice. Especially if you followed Jenny's advice first and have silly putty on the elbows.

[Sheri Weppel]

OMG you are hysterical. My husband has that on his heels, and it does wake me up at night. I'll try the KY on it tonight.

[Asianmommy.com]

I agree with the sugar scrub. Helped my rough knees!

[Jane]

To be honest, I didn't read through the responses before typing this (5 and 2 year olds fighting in the background...) but I had it too and: baby oil - or even olive oil in a pinch - will make it go away. Rub it on when you are still wet from the shower.

[rachel]

I was going to say Lansinoh as well, but she beat me to it.
Although, I would be very interested to see if you elbows got any more love if you started using Astroglide on them :-)

[Wendy23]

am delurking to say that i too had crusty pregnant elbow and i put lansinoh nipple cream on it and it went away as if by magic after one application!!!

[Motherhood Uncensored]

Hmmm... scratchy elbow or smell like a cow.

Interesting choice. :)

--

And Liza, I must find this place -- I love drag queens almost as much as I love Krispy Kremes!

[Becky]

Not sure if another commenter mentioned this, but my grandma lives in the country and she recommends udder cream for super dry elbows. It's actually what they use... well, on udders. anyway, there is a product marketed at walgreens that isn't as good as the real stuff - which i'm sure you can find online.

:) Becky

[erin]

I had that weird elbow thing when I was pregnant- both times!...I used the bag balm and the cortaid.My mother-in-law suggested the balm- she used to be a farmer's wife, and the dr. told me to use a little cortaid. I put the stuff on at night and covered them with cut up clean socks/arm warmers.... Or there is always the Ped Egg- nothing like a grater for your dry skin! good luck!

[krystina]

For those of you with cracked heals/feet ( guess this would work with elbows too, though I haven't tried it) try "bag balm". It's sold in a green tin box, actually made for cows udders, and smells...oddly, but it works wonders! I passed it out to counselors at a summer camp and watched scales and such turn back in too feet and heals.

[diane]

Jojoba oil and/or olive oil are are something else you can try.

[Kate]

Weleda Skin Food. Smells wretched, works wonders. Get it.

[Vicki]

Amie: you need to get the hand thing checked because it could be poor circulation to your hands, which is bad, or a form or ringworms (I know, gross) or a sign of a blood pressure problem. Be sure to tell your doc next time.

Now, on to the dry elbows. Get Gold Bond extra healing lotion. Use as much as you like for a while. It really works. My son had a spot on his leg that was dry from the time he was born. Nothing worked but that and I tried everything from Eucerin to Neosporin to Hydrocortizone cream.

Good luck and I hope your elbow feels better soon!!

[Must be Motherhood]

Hell YES! My normally grandma elbows are EXTRA awful right now while I'm pregnant!

I'm having decent luck with Gold Bond Extra Healing Cream (or whatever the heavy-duty cream name is). If you put it before bed every night after a few days it should help.

[Must be Motherhood]

Hell YES! My normally grandma elbows are EXTRA awful right now while I'm pregnant!

I'm having decent luck with Gold Bond Extra Healing Cream (or whatever the heavy-duty cream name is). If you put it before bed every night after a few days it should help.

[ali]

cetaphil.
do that have that in the states? it's the BEST>

[Erin]

I had pregnancy and stress related eczema which looks a lot like nasty 80 year old man elbow syndrome. What worked for me was both over the counter and prescription strength hydrocortisone cream. Also? The Body Shop body butter in "nut" works wonders on my super dry scaly skin.

[Tinkerbell]

I'm pregnant with my 1st and after I read your post and all the comments I finally felt "normal", I'm not the only one that has developed this skin problem during pregnancy. Thank you blog world. :)

[Jessee]

For all things cracked and dry, I've found that Vicks vapor rub works the best.

[Liza]

Oh yeah, and on the shoe front, there's a size 9+ shoe store on Ponce, maybe half-way between downtown and Little 5 Points. I assume it caters to drag queens, but you never know what you might find. :) It's also only a few blocks east of the Krispie Kreme, and if that combination isn't enough to get a tall pregnant woman into the city, I don't know what is.

[Liza]

My weirdest symptom last pregnancy was that every time I tried to brush my teeth, I puked. All the way through the entire pregnancy and until about a week post-partum.

My first solo adventure post-partum was to the dentist.

Thank god this pregnancy that only lasted a few weeks.

[Domestic Extraordinarie]

I don't know what to tell you about the icky elbows, but I totally hear ya on the forbidden size 11's. After Chicken was born I haven't been able to fit back into my 10's. UGH! Its such a PITA to find shoes that are cute and comfy. Most times I just give up much to my teenager's protests.

[Jean]

got buy this...seriously it's amazing!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14051366

[Jaci]

Weird pregnancy symptoms are never in the books, either. I grew a seed wart on the back of my leg while pregnant--never had one before or after--and NOTHING would kill it. The nasty elbow will probably go away a few months after the baby is out!

[Krystal]

Ahh the ry skin - I have that on my hands! and since I gave birth to Princess, it has never gone away - I use Gold Bond and it helps.

Another weird pregnancy symptom that I am experiencing now is my hair falling out. This happened when I was pregnant with Baby Boy last year and did not stop until I stopped breast feeding.

Mr. Man tells me it feels like he is living with a shedding Chewbaca because everywhere he goes he sees at least 5 strands of hair!

[mothergoosemouse]

Yeah, but is your belly button ten degrees warmer than the rest of your body?

[Katie]

My elbows seem ok, but OH MY GOD my HEELS are AWFUL. My husband gags whenever he sees them. Cracked, dry, peeling.... whatever preggo madness is going on with your elbows it is having times ten on my feet. YUCK.

[Amie]

One of the symptoms I've got this time that I've never experienced before is that the palms of my hands are red and splotchy. It's like having a permanant case of dishpan hands. Mmmmm. Sexy.

[Andrea]

I never knew that pregnancy did this I couldnt for the life of me figure out what the hell was wrong with my left elbow.

[feefifoto]

If dry elbow skin is the worst that happens during your pregnancy, you're very lucky.

[Angie in Texas]

or you could just use "flesh colored" silly putty. HAHAHAHA!

[Angie in Texas]

lotrimin. yeah, the kind for athlete's foot. hydrocortisone may work, but the lotrimin did wonders for my freaky dry (athlete's?) elbows. =)

[Jenny,Bloggess]

Silly putty.

Squish it over your elbows and no one will notice. Get the flesh colored one though because the grey will not be flattering. Unless your elbows are grey. Then maybe they're just dirty?

PS. I thought your elbows looked hot. For reals.

[tata]

If Aquaphor didn't work, then it sounds like something you should get a prescription for! Ask to see a dermatologist.

[Amy]

I have dry elbows too, even when I'm not pregnant.

Get a good scrub - salt or sugar - from Bath and Body Works and use that. Then use a plant oil (olive, coconut, whatever) not a petroleum based oil (vaseline, Eucarin, etc.) faithfully. Use the scrub in the shower. Pat dry and put on the oil. Reapply through the day, if necessary (or if you have time, ha ha). Wet your elbows again at bed time and apply the oil again.

Petroleum based lotions just trap the existing moisture in your elbow. Your body then gets dependent on the lotion, rather than adjusting and making the right amount of oil. Plant based oils will nourish the skin in a way that petroleum based oils don't, and help it heal.

There's a product called "Zim's Crack Cream" that I get at Walgreen's for my husband's extremely dry feet. I don't know what's in it, but it seems to work, too.

Good luck!

[Motherhood Uncensored]

We do have the hydro corizone -- I use the darn Eucerin every day.

No luck.

[Barbara]

I'm plagued with dry skin when I'm NOT pregnant, and when I am, well, it's down to two hair washings a week for fear my scalp will pick up and leave my skull.

I slather on baby oil while I'm still wet from the shower and I exfoliate before I shower ever other day. It's a process, but better than scratching so deep that I leave skin samples like a snake.

[Traci in GA]

Forget Lotions. Get some Eucerin Plus creme. It comes in a small tub or tube. Use it twice a day, every day. It's great stuff. All the Eucerin skin products are good for problem skin. No, I don't work for Eucerin, but I do have crazy skin!! You can even get it at "The Walmarts".

[Lisa]

I use Nivea in the white jar (not bottle, it's a little tub) for my freaky pregnancy elbows... yes, I have them too... I have dry skin in LOTS of weird places. Nivea works well for me.

[Amanda]

Sounds like eczema. It runs rampant in this house. Try some hydro cortisone cream. No regular lotion will touch it if that's what it is.