Skin splitting

Posted , 6 users are following.

hi i am new to this LS management rodeo having recently been diagnosed after a biopsy in October.

the steroid cream has drastically improved my symptoms which were itchiness and soreness so i am lucky in that respect. ever since LS started though i get a tiny (but very painful) split in my perineum always in the same place when i have sex. i'm only 31 so i have an active sex life and excuse the tmi but i would never need to use a lubricant. my question is do you think this is directly linked to the LS, has it just made my skin easily damaged there? should i apply something to the area before sex? or put steroid cream there too? what do you think?

i find it hard to imagine this is unrelated as it has never happened previously and i have given birth to two children and continued to have sex for years without an issue with tearing

thanks x

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    I would say that the skin splitting is definitely as a result of the LS. I would use the steroid cream on the split until it's healed but after sex as your partner may get steroid cream contact and it's very potent so you really don't want this to happen. I have found that if I get a split or cut and I put a teeny bit of steroid on it as I go to sleep , it's healed the next day. I apply an oil based ointment morning and night to the front and back passage to keep things from drying up. sounds vile but it helps alot.

  • Posted

    I had the same issue...after starting the steroid (putting it on the area) and vaginal estriol cream the area became much more flexible in about a week. Topical estrogen will help plump up the vaginal and vulva tissue.

    • Posted

      Hi RubyDee, can you share the name of the estriol cream?

  • Posted

    Hi, I agree with whats already been said. The only thing I would add is that I would wait a few days until that split is completely healed up before having sex again as it sounds like it is a reoccurring LS split and that could cause continued problems if you ignore it.

    • Posted

      Guppy, that is what happened to me! I have been now referred to physical therapy as the muscles are so tense and sore. There were cuts in the furchetta area initially, and now it is pains and aches, and tightness. What have you done to address that?

    • Posted

      Vita23...your symptoms sound like mine when I first started having symptoms. I detailed my experience in a post here..."Diagnosed 3 months ago...specialist seen twice...my story"

      It started with small cuts on the fourchette and developed into vaginal opening tightness which I attributed to vaginal atrophy. I did all kinds of stuff to alleviate the symptoms...finally diagnosed with LS and had relief quickly after starting clobesterol and vaginal estrogen cream.

      I was prescribed a vaginal estriol cream which needed to be filled at a compounding pharmacy. I would assume any vaginal estrogen treatment would work the same.

  • Posted

    Hello all, just a reminder about an issue Starlight8 highlighted a number of weeks ago:

    When you are applying Steroid Ointment, Creams and so on that work well for you, the best results are obtained if you gently stretch the skin at the same time!

    So, I apply the Clobetasol (Dermovate) ointment and rub it well in, then, stretch the infected skin area to keep it as supple as possible. And yes, I realise this is much easier for Male LS sufferers to do, both in terms of a relatively small area of infected skin to consider, in comparison to most Women sufferers, and more importantly, being able to identify all of the infected skin to apply the the steroid or wherever to in the first place!

    Obviously, if you do not apply things like Steroid ointments on a regular basis, and you get a flare-up or skin tear, you either need to wait for the skin to recover, or be extremely careful with the stretching you do.

    I would say applying a steroid prior to sex, if you can forward plan at all, then apply in the morning of the same day, when possible, as the infected skin should be around as good as it can be for later in the day.

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