Vulval Lichen Sclerosus

Posted , 7 users are following.

I would like to refer all to an article about medical treatment for LS. It explains why steroids are recommended treatment to prevent vulva cancer.

Please google - "Simple method to prevent cancer in women with VLS"

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Mary, Thanks for bringing our attention to this. The journalist, Jill Margo, who covered the research of  Australian dermatologists (Gayle Fischer and Jennifer Bradford) did our community a favour in underscoring these recent findings on the importance of superpotent steroid creams in avoiding squamous cell carcinoma. It's also worth reading the whole article. There is a need to know exactly how to use these ointments long term (and at what potency) as there is no one-size-fits-all protocol which makes it tricky for anyone - like me - to know exactly what to do once the condition is under control. I think the steroid protocol is more aggressively prescribed in Australia but if you or anyone has additional information on this I would appreciate it. That said, the scholarly article written by Lee, Bradford and Fischer on this subject is comprehensive, current to the discussion and well worth the read. See: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/2301155

  • Posted

    Thanks for that, a really interesting article and easy to find if you google it.

    its certainly made me think about possibly using cortisone.     I've been ok with the borax and tbh the clobestomol seemed to do nothing at all, and by the time i was diagnosed i had lost most of the architecture.

    which steroids are not as potent as Clobestomol....  Anyone know?

    xx

    • Posted

      Betnovate. But I still think you have to be careful about under treating yourself. Unfortunately it is not an exact science. 
  • Posted

    Thank you for flagging this article up.  I was advised by a registrar to tail off using dermovate and when the consultant found out she was less than pleased!  I have accepted I will be using dermovate for life but I really don't have a problem with this. I am happy to try alternative therapies but this these will always be in conjunction with the steroid cream.  Thanks again.  It's always good to have a reminder of what lichen sclerosus can develop into. 

  • Posted

    Hi Mary, and thanks for sharing that article.  I think it’s important to note that cortisone was the only treatment used in the study, and yes, steroids do help. However, I’ve never seen a medical report that compares steroids to natural treatments (baking soda, Borax, oils, etc). It appears that this study compared women who complied with the maintenance dosage of cortisone to those who partially complied.

    Since I began using the natural treatments listed above, areas that had fused have un-fused.  All the white areas have returned to a healthy pink, and itching and pain are gone.

    For people who prefer steroids, then they should do what is right for them.  I’m just saying that a complete reversal of what was an advanced case of LS says a lot about natural treatments, so they shouldn’t be discounted.

    • Posted

      Dear Anna,

      I am happy to hear you've had success.

      Can you explain how you use the Borax. The baking soda is to be used to bath in or mix water and cleanse after urinating I've tried. I haven't tried the Borax. I did discuss with my gynecologist and he did not object. But he did tell me the Clobetasol is necessary.

      I think I'm okay for now but I will try the Borax.

      I can also recommend the Mona Lisa procedure. I know it is costly but I do think it helped the skin renewal and also the vaginal problems associated with menopause.

    • Posted

      Hi Mary,

      There is a discussion titled “An Experiment with Borax” on this site, which we can thank Alistar for.  There’s a lot of good info in it and I highly recommend taking a look at it.  Briefly, here’s what I do:  I applied the Borax (sodium borate or sodium tetraborate) treatment twice a day at first, then once a day after things started improving.

      To make the solution, slowly add borax to water, stirring and dissolving until the borax no longer dissolves. It's called a saturated solution. To use, dip a q-tip into the solution and apply it to the affected area. I use a small jar and keep it in the refrigerator.  There’s no specific size.

      It took several months for the un-fusing process, and the white areas to become pink again.

      I still take baking soda baths (1/3 cup) in a tub, and I also soak in tub with 1/6 cup of Borax a couple of days a week.  Everyone is different and some may be able to get by with fewer treatments.

      I haven’t looked into the Mona Lisa treatments because I’m doing so well, but it’s good to know you’ve found relief with it, so thanks for the recommendation.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.