What Is Calcinosis Cutis?

The formation of calcium salt crystals in your skin is called calcinosis cutis. Calcium deposits are hard, non-dissolvable lumps. Lesions come in various shapes and sizes. This is a rare ailment that can be caused by a variety of factors. Infections, injuries, and systemic disorders such as kidney failure are all examples. Calcium deposits in the skin, muscles, tendons, connective tissue, and subcutaneous tissue, the fat-filled layer beneath the skin, cause calcinosis cutis.

Calcinosis cutis frequently manifests itself without causing any symptoms, however, it can be excruciatingly unpleasant in some circumstances. Treatments, including surgery, are available, although calcium lesions may reoccur.

Types and Causes of Calcinosis Cutis

Calcinosis cutis is divided into five types:

Dystrophic Calcification

Calcinosis cutis is most commonly a result of this. This variety has normal phosphorus and calcium levels, but the skin is damaged due to an underlying disease or injury. Proteins released by dying cells bond to phosphate and generate calcium deposits. Some of the underlying diseases are Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD), Lupus, Systemic sclerosis, or scleroderma, Dermatomyositis, Sjogren’s syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos, Werner syndrome, and Rheumatoid arthritis.

Calcification of the Metastatic Site

This occurs in persons who have abnormally high calcium and phosphorus levels and is a result of vitamin D poisoning, chronic kidney disease, taking excess amounts of anti-acid, sarcoidosis, and eating high amounts of calcium-rich foods.

Iatrogenic Calcification

When you are administered a calcium phosphate medication or solution, you will develop iatrogenic calcification. This is frequently an unintended consequence of a procedure or treatment. These can include the following:

• Transplantation of organs
• Calcium or phosphate-containing solutions
• Treatment for tuberculosis with intravenous calcium chloride or calcium gluconate
• Contact with calcium chloride paste during electrode tests

Calciphylaxis

Calcinosis cutis is an uncommon and serious condition that affects persons who have kidney failure, have had a kidney transplant, or are on dialysis. It affects the skin’s or fat layer’s blood vessels. The body’s calcium and phosphate levels are usually abnormal.

Idiopathic Calcification

There isn’t a definite cause for this type. You may have normal calcium and phosphorus levels, no tissue or skin damage, and no autoimmune illness in this situation. This category includes the following conditions:

• Healthy teenagers with familial tumoral calcinosis (calcium tumors around the joints)
• Calcified nodules in the subepidermis (white bumps on the scalp, face, and eyelids)
• Calcinosis of the scrotum (calcium nodules on the scrotum)
• Teenagers and children are frequently affected with idiopathic calcinosis cutis. These lumps on the head and face are present at birth in certain kids.

Symptoms of Calcinosis Cutis

Calcinosis cutis has a variety of appearances and locations, depending on the underlying etiology. On the skin’s surface, the lesions are usually firm, whitish-yellow lumps. They begin gradually and vary in size. The lesions may be asymptomatic, painful, or leaking a whitish substance, or they may be severe, painful, or oozing a whitish substance. A lesion can become life-threatening in rare situations. In each of the subtypes of calcinosis cutis, the lesions commonly develop in the following areas:

Dystrophic Calcification

The lumps appear where tissue has been damaged. Forearms, elbows, fingers, and knees are common targets. Lesions on the hands and feet, the buttocks, and beneath lupus lesions are common in lupus.

Calcification of the Metastatic Site

Bumps are symmetrically distributed around joints such as the knees, elbows, and shoulders. Internal organs such as the lungs, kidneys, blood arteries, and stomach may also be affected. As the skin around joints stiffens, it can impede mobility.

Iatrogenic Calcification

This is a condition that occurs as a result of a medical procedure. The lesion appears at the location of skin, piercing medical or therapeutic operation.

Calciphylaxis

Skin lesions are most commonly found on the legs or trunk, particularly in fatty areas like the breasts, buttocks, and stomach. The lesions have a mottled appearance and are uncomfortable. They can become infected ulcers that don’t heal or gangrene. Other symptoms, such as weariness and weakness, may accompany the lesions.

Idiopathic Calcification

This normally only affects one body part. It can affect the scrotum, the head, the breasts, the penis, the vulva, or the hands and feet. It could be on a child’s face. There may be a white discharge from the lesions.

How to Diagnose Calcinosis Cutis

It’s crucial to figure out what form of calcinosis cutis you have before deciding on a treatment plan. To establish the underlying cause of your calcinosis cutis, your doctor may likely perform multiple laboratory tests which include:

• Tests to see if your calcium and phosphate levels are excessively high, screen for lupus indicators and potential malignancies, and rule out abnormal parathyroid and vitamin D levels.
• To rule out kidney issues, metabolic testing is performed
• X-rays, CT scans, or bone scans (scintigraphy) to determine the degree of the lesions’ calcification.
• Other specific testing to rule out dermatomyositis (inflammation) and milk-alkali syndrome

How to Treat Calcinosis Cutis

Your doctor will discuss the many treatment options with you and propose the one that is best suited to your needs. The following are a few of the possibilities:

• Triamcinolone acetonide and triamcinolone diacetate are intralesional corticosteroids
• Amlodipine (Norvasc), diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac), and verapamil are calcium channel blockers (Calan, Verelan)
• Gaviscon Extra Relief Formula and Acid Gone Antacid are examples of antacids that contain aluminum hydroxide
• Colchicine (Colcrys) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
• Surgery to remove the calcium deposits
• Iontophoresis is a technique that uses low levels of electric current to remove calcium deposits by administering medication directly to the affected areas, such as cortisone
• Warfarin (Coumadin, Marevan) is a blood thinner that is used to prevent blood clots
• The use of light radiation to dissolve calcium deposits is known as laser treatment.

Natural Remedies for Calcinosis Cutis

You can treat calcium deposits on the skin using a few natural remedies:

• Massage: Many people report that massaging the problematic area with aloe vera gel or olive oil removes calcium deposits over time, despite the fact that this is not always suggested by medical authorities.
• Diet: Lowering your calcium intake and limiting foods like dairy products, according to many natural health advocates, can assist.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Some people claim that consuming a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in 8 ounces of water every day will aid in the breakdown of calcium deposits.
• Chanca Piedra: Others believe that the herb, chanca piedra, can help the body break down calcium accumulation.

Lifestyle Remedies for Calcinosis Cutis

Some lifestyle remedies you can adopt include:

• Quit smoking
• Reduce your stress
• Reduce your exposure to the cold
• Sun protection is essential
• Avoid skin irritation or damage

Now that you Know…

Some of the medications recommended may have adverse effects that can make you sicker or trigger more significant health issues such as renal difficulties. Using surgery or laser removal to remove hair can also harm or injure the skin. Your lesions may reappear as a result of this. Other dangers include infection and poor wound healing. Calcinosis cutis is difficult to control and treat because no single treatment is effective for everyone. Individual strategies must be applied. Calcinosis cutis can occur as a result of poor treatment for connective tissue autoimmune disease. To reduce the severity of this rheumatoid arthritis, your doctor may recommend that you begin therapy with medications that suppress your immune system as soon as possible. The outcome for calcinosis cutis is determined by the underlying disease or source of the lesions, as well as the severity of the lesions. Current treatments may be beneficial, and new therapies are in the works. Consult your doctor for advice on how to manage your symptoms and get to the root of the problem. Also note that calcinosis can cause difficulties with the joint, swelling, infection, pain, skin ulcers, and deformities if not treated urgently.