Forearm crease: What causes these mysterious elbow/arm lines?
This site has a lot of articles about arms and forearm bones and everything related to this area of the body. So naturally, during my research, I came across the topic of forearm crease.
Yes, that mysterious arm crease, han mark, crease mark, forearm wrinkle, whatever you call it. It grabbed my attention enough to go beyond contemplating its existence.
What causes forearm crease/elbow crease?
Let’s think about it logically. We all have the same creases on our hands and fingers since we were in the fetal position. Well, of course this is where the other crease-like ones on our forearms start to develop.
Babies also have these lines because they have more body fat. Obviously, some people “grow” more out of them than others. Also, when the skin is in a flexed position, you will see some elbow crease.
Who is most likely to have an elbow/forearm crease?
There’s a reason why the mysterious forearm wrinkles are commonly referred to as the Han mark. It is widely believed that the Han Chinese ethnic group has a genetic predisposition to these lines, hence the name.
This is also verified (on the Internet, at least) by many people of Han Chinese descent. But there’s a catch.
Not all han Chinese people have this forearm crease.
Maybe it’s all part of the genetic lottery?
Maybe it’s part of the genes.
After all, the more fat you have on your arms, the more likely your skin is to form creases. One way to get rid of this crease is too loose some body fat, although forearm crease is really not a big deal.
If the creases still persist, you will know they are a permanent fixture on your arms due to your genetics.
Has there been any research on arm creases?
There is not really much any research being produced on the forearm crease. I think no scientist is eager to publish anything. Or maybe they could not get anything because the subject is not considered important?
Either way, there is similar research on many other skin lines. But these are disorders and are within the realm of dermatology rather than simple genetic traits.
Even on the internet, you will find people revealing lines on their forearms.
However, this is not a very good sample size, and we do not know about other characteristics such as their age (more wrinkles in older people) and their body weight (more creases in obese people).
Other causes of forearm creases
This may be a case of confirmation bias.
Many people of other ethnicities also have these creases.
There is no known cause due to the lack of research on this. The lack of research is likely due to the fact that the crease has no significant purpose. Just like any other crease or dimple you find on your body.
What we do know is that it is likely to be hereditary (recessive genes). Moreover, it is something that one has from birth. This seems to be more pronounced in people who had these folds as children. Also remember, skin is quite suggestible. Repetitive actions and movements may show up on your skin. And as we grow, we gain or lose weight, our skin reflects this.
The skin can shrink causing lines on them but it can be shrink back to its original shape thereby causing wrinkles lines.
All living beings are born with wrinkles, growing as they develop more wrinkles in line with the laws of physics, depending on how much mass it holds and how old it is until it becomes wrinkled.
Final thoughts on elbow crease
Since there’s no official name for the arm skin line that you find in people, I’m not sure what to call it. While the Han mark sound most legitimate, as if it is a term that scientists would use to confuse a population, not all people in that lineage have these lines.
Hence, I would call it the forearm crease. In short, what could be causing it: excess body fat, ethnicity, skin disorder, old age, hand condition.
The last one is interesting. Simply moving your hand around can affect the visibility of these folds. Anyway, if they aren’t causing you any pain or if they don’t look too unusual for your liking, I don’t think you need to worry about them. Everyone has some abnormality in their head that looks completely normal to other people, just like my third eye.
Thanks for reading. Hope you found this useful!
