Diet & navigating this disease

Why they took so much to understand that you have lichen?

I am vegan and on a very restricted diet due to previously having an inflammatory bowel disease. My LS has responded well to standard medical treatment. Although I am a huge proponent of natural/alternative methods so I take quercitin/bromelin daily as an anti-inflammatory and probiotics as well, in this case the clobetasol helped then once I was healed (which took a long time - 6 months or more), I switched to tacrolimus which has maintained my vaginal stability for 2 years. I hope this is helpful.

Controlling my diet and taking vitamin supplements has made a huge difference in my LS flare ups. I've had it for 23 years, diagnosed right after my son was born. I was prescribed Clobetasol which I used for a couple weeks at a time, generally with success. I would go for years without flares but did see a correlation between stress and flares. Until recently. I started menopause a couple years ago and started having regular flares that the Clobetasol (which is damaging to the skin long term) wasn't helping with anymore. Because I experienced onset after my son was born, and because it's really come back during perimenopause, it is strongly related to hormone imbalance for me. Also, after doing tons of research, I learned it is autoimmune related. As I have two other obscure autoimmune disorders, I started to look at ways to approach the problem from an autoimmune angle, as well as a diet and hormone angle. I have experienced permanent damage to the skin on my labia and my clitoris has disappeared because the labia minora has fused over it, which is a common outcome of long term LS. So, if you are wondering whether making changes to your diet to solve this problem is "worth it" consider the long term damage you face if you don't get a handle on it now. So, what did I do? I eliminated all added sugar as sugar is a huge trigger of inflammation in autoimmune disorders. I stopped drinking alcohol as it is a disruptor of liver function - a healthy liver contributes to a healthy immune system. I researched supplements and found out that Vitamin D3 (and K2 which assists with D3) is huge in helping with autoimmune disorders and most people are very deficient in Vit D. I take probiotics to help digestion. Low Iron levels also contribute to autoimmune disorders so I supplement with Iron because I know I am borderline anemic - many women are. I manage my hormones with Vitex, Red Raspberry, Black Cohosh and Maca. Selenium deficiency has shown to contribute to LS so I eat three Brazil nuts a week (but not more as it can be toxic in higher amounts). I drink 8oz of golden milk (turmeric and black pepper) for inflammation everyday. In addition to diet changes, based on other threads on this web site I found out using a saturated solution of Borax applied to the skin can help with itching, white spots and may even help reverse fusing (I have only been doing this a week, so we'll see...). I also made a salve using shea butter, olive oil, Vitamin E oil and hemp oil in which I infused dried Comfrey leaf and Red Clover leaf that I spread on my skin after every time I use the bathroom and at night. Since I have been doing all this I have not had to use the Clobetasol, which is my goal. Steroid creams can be very bad for the skin long term and I was worried about that. Also, symptoms of my other autoimmune disorders has greatly been reduced. It is possible to heal yourself. Do your research. Everything I am doing I learned about on the web by reading scientific articles, as well as first hand stories of other people dealing with this. Good luck!