please help

I've read some research that purslane is good but haven't had a chance to try it myself.  It was used widely in Persia in ancient times to remedy mouth problems.

Hallo. I developed ulcerative oral lichen planus end of 2011. If coincided with a very stressfull period of my life and thereafter, got worse whenever I was stressed or was ill. I thought that it would last forever and had resigned myself to that, but earlier this year, I started a very low carb, medium fat, medium protein eating plan and my lichen planus has completely gone away. Now I'm not sure if it was coincidental that it 'healed' after I started low carbing, but I feel that it did help tremendously.

These are the home remedies that I tried:

I did try purslane for a bit but I had a few plants and I am awful at taking care of plants(like absolutely notorius for killing every plant I've ever owned except a very independent orchid ) - so they all died. For the few weeks that I did eat purslane - I did not see it help in anyway - but different remedies work for different people so try various things. Be consistent when trying things and stick to routines - e.g. if you are drinking tumeric water(which some suggest) do it as often as is recommended. If you want to rinse your mouth with salt everyday - really keep up with it for at least a month before you give up and decide it won't work.

Having oral lichen planus is really bad - I could not eat anything hard or spicy(even crisps) when I had a breakout - which was constant.

Currently all that I have are some 'bumps' on the inside of my cheeks which I think are scar tissue - I had a biopsy early 2012 and my mouth ulcers were really bad. Fortunately my mouth feels great, I can now eat anything I want to eat.

I have so much info/research on oral lichen planus. Let me know if you would like me to share a few links.

I felt depressed for a very long time regarding my condition but you start to accept it and live with it...for some like me, it lasts years, others for a few months, and others for a very long time. But depending on your health(other chronic illnesses) yours may clear up soon - so try not to stress and don't let it dominate your life.

I have to say, I was very reluctant to kiss my husband and I was very self-concious about ppl seeing the inside of my mouth and tongue(which was also affected) so I did become slightly withdrawn but my case was quite severe and I see you have not mentioned ulcers...

I don't know how old you are but I was 31 when I was diagnosed.

The other advice I can give to you, which I wish I had had when I was suffering and depressed - is that it's not life-threatening so don't panic - the words 'auto-immune disease' are scary and yes, you will have this condition for life - but it isnt contagious and hopefully there will be proper research done to help find a 'proper' cure soon.

Good luck! I hope this helps you feel a little better. Let me know if you find a 'cures' that work.

Very useful answer, thanks.  I'm going to give purslane a try next spring when I can grow some.  Will try other tips too and agree about persevering with them.

My oral surgeon told me it will never go away. Discouraging. 

TBH, the limited research on treatments that actually work, as well as a lack of knowlege regarding the causes of the disease, means that there are alot of docs and specialists who are giving out misinformation or anecdotal advice. Be positive - the condition is chronic, as is you will always have the disease in your body - but it can go dormant/clear up.

Hi, I think for many people diet is the key to OLP and Lichen Sclerosus.   As already mentioned, it can take some time to discover what works for you.  I would advise cutting out certain foods one at a time, for example, sugar, sugar is very bad, it gets into your system and causes problems like candida, which in turn can turn  systemic candida that then brings on flare ups of Lichen Sclerosus and Oral lichen Planus, I think it is probably worth completely cutting out sugar before trying anything else as I do believe that there is a clear and strong link between thrush and flare ups for many women.  Gluten, see if you begin to have any relief without that in your system, if after a month or so there is no change, try something else, like cutting out Dairy.  I am Gluten, Dairy, and Sulfite-free, which is extreme, but I have no choice in the matter, and coincidentally I have not had any flare ups in a long time, and so I can only assume it is because I am eating so cleanly.  I am also an advocate for Homeopathy, which I regularly mention on this forum, as I have had good results with that in the past, it appears to be excellent for people with skin problems, although no one ever reports back how they are doing with it, so I am unsure whether I am the only one on this forum that has benefitted, although if you Google it you will see a LOT on Homeopathy and Lichen Planus. Make sure that you are using  sulfite free toothpaste, and that your foods are free of preservatives, which means eating organic if you can, and avoid packaged crap.   Remember that everything that is super white has been bleached with sulfites (preservatives) that means that things like sugar, flour, baking powder, salt etc have all been sulfited, this is fine for average "Joe Bloggs", but probably not great for people with OLP and LS.  We have to take extra care with our diet in my view, and so everything has to be looked at carefully.  Don't drink bottled soda or fruit drinks ever again, they are full of rubbish, just try to eat fresh whole foods that have not been contaminated by others.I have a very restricted diet; everything is produced from scratch, even down to the jam that I eat, I have no choice having been poisoned with the toxins that are being blathered on our crops/foods every day.

 It makes me want to weep for us all...

Dear ch10bear69,

Wish the user name handle was simpler :-)

Okay let me share some of my thoughts in retrospective. Before that please ensure your lips are constantly moisturised. A slight cut will be an excuse for OLP to turn the cut into a lesion. It affects your morale more than anything else.

I had gone for a regular dental cleaning when Docs told me in 2012 Dec I had OLP, The oral pathologist prescribed a steroid creme She did not tell me how this thing has a life of its own and what all I could expect in the future. Okay I agree rubbing fear into the patient is not good. However I could have been told how this can flare up and how it can be managed at all times. At the time I was told "Stress" must have brought it on.

Please dont think it will just pass. If you are lucky it could become passive sooner than later. In general It could get worse and its not the OLP that makes it worse but the fact that you get fungal (oral thrush) and bacterial infections in the sores. You will need to manage them with advice from doctors.

This time around my lips are affected and I am slowly waiting for it to heal. It looked swollen and grotesque before and now after management the swelling has gone and looks raw when I talk. I have to constantly apply a lubricant to make sure the lips dont stick. I am saying this so you know there are others who manage a possibly more serious manifestation the disorder. 

This time around my doc has put me on immunosuppressants and 4mg of Methyl Prednisolone with local steroid + antibiotic creme. I constantly rinse my mouth with saline. Your doctor may start  you on some regime depending on the severity of your condition. 

Hope you get relief. Take care

It often does not go away. I've had it for over 20 years now. It's probable that the more inflamation you get the less likely it is to go away, so it is important to keep on top of it. Also things like viral sore throats can make it worsen so that can be a sign to anticipate things and increase treatment early. If you've got ulceration there is probably no alternative to topical steroids: e.g. betnesol 0.5 or 1 mg as a mouthwash kept in your mouth for at least 10 minutes 2 or 3 times a day; important to spit out thoroughly to avoid steroid side effects, and you may also will be at increased risk of oral thrush. I also find green tea extract very useful - one way to use this is to hold a tablet against an ulcer for a while.