Here at DiscovHER Health, we care about treating women with VULVAR LICHEN SCLEROSUS.
Lichen Sclerosus most often presents as itchy and painful vulvar tissue. Many clients are incorrectly treated for yeast before getting a proper diagnosis.
What is Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus?
Lichen sclerosus is a long-term skin disease that mainly affects the genital skin resulting in symptoms like vulvar itch and pain. It is usually diagnosed around the age of menopause but many women suffer for years before diagnosis. It occurs in at least 1 in 1000 women but may also affect men and children less frequently. The skin outside the genital region is less commonly involved. This condition usually appears as white, fragile skin patches that can sometimes appear crinkled or it can have a shiny smooth surface.
The most common and well studied treatment for lichen sclerosus is a very strong topical steroid ointment, such as clobetasol propionate, or halobetasol. These can be safely used in the genital area for this condition.
Causes of Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus
The cause of lichen sclerosus is unknown. It can be associated, in some patients (and/or their close relatives) with autoimmune diseases such as thyroid disorders or vitiligo. Autoimmune diseases occur when the cells and proteins that the body uses to fight off infection start to damage the body’sown tissues and prevent their normal actions. Your health care provider may do blood tests to check for autoimmune diseases. It can be made worse by skin irritation, like scratching, and any infection on open skin from yeast or bacteria.
Lichen sclerosus is not an infection and is not contagious. It cannot be passed onto a sexual partner.
Symptoms of Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus
Itching is the most common symptom. This can be severe and may disturb sleep.
Some people experience soreness and burning particularly with intercourse. Small cracks in the skin (fissures) and ulcers can occur as a result of scratching the skin. This can become very sore. If the anal skin splits, there can be pain with bowel movements.
The skin becomes pale and white in appearance. This may be patchy or involve the entire vulva extending down to the skin around the anus.
Some purplish/red areas may be seen on the white background. These are bruises due to tiny areas of bleeding into the skin, often because of scratching.
There may be scarring due to the loss of vulvar tissue (The inner lips) or shrinkage of the entrance to the vagina which can cause pain and interfere with sexual intercourse. It can rarely even cause pain with urination.
Lichen Sclerosus is associated with an increased risk of vulvar cancer.
Health care providers familiar with the condition may diagnose it by looking at the skin seeing the usually characteristic appearance. The diagnosis is sometimes confirmed by taking a skin biopsy. Here at DiscovHER Health, our providers conduct a vulvoscopy to obtain high resolution images of your tissue to thoroughly evaluate you.