Saline, peroxide, baking soda or vinegar for maintenance of lichen sclerosus

Posted , 4 users are following.

OzzieO, Wilmatm, hanny32508 and the group,

So good to find alternative methods are helping you improve LS.  

Question:  What I gather is that HP and saline, baking soda, apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil are all disinfectants.  It looks like any of these would be helpful.  I have been thinking about using one of these for a while but I haven't had to courage to try them yet because of the sensitivity of the skin.  I can imagine unbearable burning reaction from any of them.  

All of your specific and detailed experiences will be most appreciated.

Recently, I had a red wine spill on my rug.  I used salt + water to blot it up.  I was told that HP or white wine or vinegar (any product that foams) can be used to pull the resin out of the fabric.  Somehow, there is relevance in how these solvents work on the fabric and how it could also apply to the sensitivity of the vaginal skin.  

It just seems so abrasive to use cleaning material for LS - yet, there is wisdom in it.  Anybody has an opinion of which of the above is better/worse than another?

Personally, simply applying olive oil on the vagina prior to peeing is already a noticeable improvement when the skin is acting up.  

Very grateful for this website and the intelligent, committed participants.  

I am happy to have went off clobestasol for about 10 months since it just did not feel comfortable and it was not helping the condition. Thanks.

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4 Replies

  • Posted

    I can only speak of bi carb of soda. 

    I have not used the others. 

    Bicarb is diluted in water and is a softener of water and neutralises ph. I am on a fair bit of daily meds and i think my urine is very strong and in this heat concentrated and it makes my skin itchy sore so for me it was simple to set up a bidet in the bathroom for my self. My skin feels soft and supple and the bicarb is incredibly soothing and not stingy at all. I dont fancy using tea tree oil as that is very strong and i lnow the HP is diluted dramatically. 

    The vinegar sounds good as i know with i incontinent patients/clients we used vinegar to neutralise the ammonia in their bedding and clothes. So it makes sense that that would be good too. It is only the pharmaceutical companies that have us all thinking these are cleaning products as its better for their pockets we buy their products and not use simple natural products that have been used for centuries. 

    We have become very chemically orientated and forgotten our roots. 

    Wilma. 

    • Posted

      We have become very chemically orientated and forgotten our roots. 

      Indeed we forget that humans evolved outdoors and our skin is exposed to the sunlight.

      We naturally create (given warm summer sunlight) between 10,000 and 20,000 iu of vitamin D3 given non burning sun(UVB) exposure and living as human DNA evolved humans we naturally maintain 25(OH)D around 125nmol/l and this level can go up to 200~250nmol/l (during pregnancy and lactation)

      When we get our Vitamin D level over 125nmol/l and nearer the 200nmol/l the circulating form of vitamin D3 is able to work as the active hormonal form Calcitriol. 

      There are several papers showing that Calcipotriol a synthetic form of Calcitriol in ointment form can be used to treat lichen sclerosus and we also find 

      "Oral calcitriol: a new therapeutic agent in cutaneous lichensclerosis."

      It's also interesting to see this report 

      "Association Between Lichen Sclerosus and Celiac Disease: A Report of Three Pediatric Cases."

      It may be there is an increase in vulnerability to Lichen Sclerosus in people who also react to gluten. One of the many things Vitamin D3 does is to TIGHTEN the junctions that line our digestive tract that are supposed to keep out unwanted stuff, particularly LPS ( lipopolysaccharide) so having low vitamin D status also increases the risk of Celiac Disease, Gluten sensitivity and all the consequences arising from Leaky Gut Syndrome.

    • Posted

      Thanks Ted for that interesting information. I remember when i had episiotomy scars post child birth that were hard to heal i would spend at least one hour with my under carriage in full sun to help with the healing and a few years ago again to assist some messy scaring post surgery. I remember it was a very comfortable feeling having full sun on a area the sun dont normally shine on. Lol. So yes the sun is very important to use in this case also if at all able. 

      I also take D3 as with my liver disease and gastric bypass i have a lack of ability to absorb certain vit and minerals. 

      There are so many very educated people on this site and their input is a real bonus to our recovery from LS. 

      Wilma. 

    • Posted

      It is possible to get you vitamin D3 level checked by post.

      Birmingham NHS path lab (under the name of CityAssays send you out a kit and you prick your finger and put a couple of drops on a test sheet and post them back and they send you the results in an email a few days later. 

      The trouble is that most people (including doctors) only consider it's important NOT to be DEFICIENT in Vitamin D3 so if your level is around the 70mark they don't see any problem. 

      But there is a big difference between being just above deficient and being optimal. 

      Bit like your finances Sure if you have less money coming in than you spend you are soon going to be in trouble but just having sufficient money to cover you actual weekly expences may sound fine but it makes life a lot easier if every week you not only have sufficient to pay your bills but you also have some left over to put in a savings account so if there is a crisis there is a pot of money in an instant access savings account you can call on in times of need. 

      Same with your vitamin D3. We have to get 25(OH)D above 100nmol/l BEFORE we can measure spare, free vitamin D3 in cells. It's only when 25(OH)D levels get to and above 125nmol/l (50ng/ml) that we can be certain everyone not only has sufficient Vitamin D3 to meet their daily needs but also has a reserve supply, in tissue cells, which can be called on to fight infection/inflammation should that be required. 

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