Tag Archives: Vaginal Itching
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Vulvar Itching May Be Unrecognized Lichen Sclerosus
Posted on October 9, 2017
Unrecognized Lichen Sclerosus is not a medical diagnosis, it is what happens when a patient with milder degrees of lichen sclerosus (LS) associated with intermittent itching goes unrecognized by providers who lack experience in recognizing the condition. This happens all the time. Consider the following patient who presented to Dr. R. Stuart Fowler at the experts in vulvovaginal healthcare in Phoenix Arizona at Fowler Gyn International:“I had suffered for years with undiagnosed symptoms and had seen a number of doctors back home in Canada; none of who could diagnosis the issue. With one visit to Dr. Fowler he diagnosed my problem as Lichen Sclerosus; an issue that I had struggled with for years was diagnosed and treated in one visit and 100% better within 4 months of the medicated treatment protocol. I was so impressed with Dr. Fowler that after I learned that he had left the Mayo Clinic (where I had first met him) I searched him down and found him practicing at Fowler Gyn International and have followed him there.” T. Edmonton Alberta, CanadaLS is a benign skin condition in the dermatosis category. Other conditions which are more well known in this group include eczema, psoriasis, and seborrhea or dandruff. Like these conditions, once you develop LS you generally have it for life. It is NOT contagious, infectious, inflammatory or a connective tissue disease. There maybe a slight autoimmune link to it. Generally it is regarded as a condition with genetic predisposition. It can affect all ages of women. Itching is the predominant symptom. The skin becomes thin, shiny, wrinkly, and sticky. The labia begin to fuse together along the interlabial sulcus or over the clitoris. At the base of the vagina the tissues can fuse together in the midline. When the tissues get pulled apart by such things a tight clothing or intercourse it causes fissures that look and feel like paper cuts. Also whitening or hypopigmentation can occur in smooth symmetric areas on the vulva or can be splotchy white areas. The labia are most commonly affected follower by the peri-rectal area then the gluteal cleft and the intertiginous areas between the vulva and the inner thighs.Experts can easily diagnose the condition by sight. It only needs to be biopsied to exclude VIN meaning pre-cancer and or squamous cell cancer if there is any areas of irregular or thickened skin.Treated correctly, symptoms can promptly and dramatically respond within a few weeks. Even when the condition is recognized by providers, most of them inappropriately threat LS episodically with suprapotent class I corticosteriods on an episodic basis. While use of these steriods such as Clobetasol are very appropriate for severe cases of LS, prolonged use or episodic use for recurrent symptoms symptoms is not. If you are suffering from vulvar itching with no apparent cause, visit Fowler Gyn International at fowlergyninternational.com or call 480-420-4001. The founding principal, board certified gynecologist Dr. Fowler has probably managed as many or more cases of women with LS than any provider in the country. Put this expertise to work for you! -
Feeling External Vaginal Itching, Irritation, & Dryness?
Posted on January 18, 2016
Some women suffer with irritation consisting of dryness, chafing and itching intermittently for years thinking that it’s a mild yeast infection or sensitivity to irritants in the products that touch the vulvar tissues when in fact it’s not. Instead an vulvar condition called Lichen Sclerosus can elude doctors during it’s early stages for years causing these symptoms. Changes in the skin start out as subtle wrinking, shinyness and stickyness of the skin. As it progresses, the tissues lying adjacent to each other such as the periclitoral tissues, the interlabial folds and the base of the vagina can fuse together causing linear fusion lines. If pulled apart these fused areas can crack open causing small paper-cut fissures which brings a new symptom of burning & stinging. Also the tissues surrounding the vaginal opening can turn slightly blanched-white. This can include the peri-anal area. The whitening can be splotchy or smooth with symmetric bilateral outlines. Many doctors including gynecologists can entirely overlook the early signs of the condition. Consider the plight of the patient below:
“I was diagnosed by Dr. Fowler 3 1/2 months ago with Lichen Sclerosis. I had seen 5-10 doctors trying to figure out how to help me with the symptoms I was having, and get a diagnosis. I was so frustrated and felt like nothing was going to help me relieve my symptoms. After seeing Dr. Fowler, he helped me know exactly what I needed to do to improve, and answers came! I started feeling better quickly and learned how to manage my symptoms feeling like I can lead a normal life again! Overall I'm 80% better at this point." J. Sahuarita, AZ
Even when general gynecologists make the correct diagnosis, commonly they prescribe superpotent corticosteriods on an intermittent basis. While suprapotent corticosteriods have their role, using them each time the condition flares is not the best way to effectively mamage the condition. Lichen Sclerosus belongs to the family of dermatoses. Other conditions in this diagnostic category which are better known include ezcema, psoriasis, and seborrhea or dandruff. These conditions are chronic meaning they cannot be cured so they must be managed on an on-going basis. Its best to get the condition suppressed then continue a maintainence cream to keep it in check. Another common mistake that even gynecologists make is that they tell patient that it requires a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. This could not be farther from the truth. The only time a biopsy is necessary is to exclude the possibility for precancer or cancerous transformation. Whenever there is thickening known as leukoplakia then this site warrants biopsy. To learn more about Lichen Sclerosus, contact Fowler Gyn International (FGI). They have developed effective treatment protocols for Lichen Sclerosus which is the result of years of clinical observation and research by the founder, board certified gynecologist, Dr. R. Stuart Fowler. Contact them at http://www.fowlergyninternational.com/contact-us to learn more.
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