1. Community
  2. Women's health
  3. Lichen Sclerosus

Strange looking labia minora

Posted , 18 users are following.

dani2590
dani2590

I'm wonderkng whether my labia minora is considered normal or whether it has drastically changed over the years and I haven't been aware as I've been asymptomatic and never looked.

The labia minora is considered to be the inner lips (the flaps of skin). I don't seem to have this, just two surfaces of skin on either side. One side you can see some of a lip but that's it. So basically I have two flat surfaces of skin on either side. This can't be normal. If so what happened to the lips. I don't see any seam or scar tissue burying the lips. It's as if they were never there and that's just how I've always been.

Does anyone else look remotely similar? I know we all look so different down there but I'm curious.

1 like, 42 replies

42 Replies

Next
  • kathleen65757
    kathleen65757 dani2590

    Posted

    I can relate to what you are saying. Mine disappeared years ago. The clitoris got buried a few years or so a go. I can feel it. 

    You probably did not notice as it would,have been subtle. 

  • suzanne21762
    suzanne21762 dani2590

    Posted

    Hi Dani, I was at the consultants earlier this year and she told me I no longer have any labia minor!  I was shocked as I had not realised they were no longer there.  Anyway she told me that was fine and that I did not need them anyway, true or false who knows, they must have been there for a reason In the first place? Evidently they have been re-absorbed! I have no scar tissue or anything like that they have just disappeared.  According to the doctor they will not re-appear no matter what treatment I have.  I really hate LS and I do feel rather 'open' down there, which I assume is due to having re-absorbed the labia minors.  It is so difficult to 'look' at this area of your body, the consultant agreed with me that you need to be almost a contortionist with six Sets of hands to be able to properly examine yourself, also there is no 'normal' looking vagina, we are all different, which makes it harder to work out if you have something wrong/missing/mis-shaken etc. Hope this helps, if you find out anything more I would really love to hear.  Best of luck
    • Jess1612
      Jess1612 suzanne21762

      Posted

      Hi Suzanne I am new with LS.  I think I've had it for years and had no serious symptons, some minor but I am lucky nothing like some people on here.  My labia minor have also completed absorbed, until recently I had part of one side left but now within a week all is gone!! Can you tell me what to expect next?  I am very worried and terrified it will all close up!! I am using steroid but my biopsy came back non-specific inflammation and not LS however new specialists is convinced I have it and said because I use the steroid before the biopsy for a few weeks it disguised it.  Would like to hear if there is anything else you can tell me.  I am 55 and post menopause. Thanks!
    • suzanne21762
      suzanne21762 Jess1612

      Posted

      Hi Jess, sorry to hear you have LS.  We are all so individual it is impossible to say what comes next! BUT I will say be positive and don't stress out about it.  I did when I was first diagnosed but really if you think about it stressing out won't solve the problem (easy to say hard to accept-I still worry and check regularly that things are not changing downstairs, something I never did before diagnosis). I use Demovate for flare ups and I also use it for maintenance on a regular basis, this seems to keep the LS under control.  I use Dermol 500 for washing and I NEVER use any soap/bubble bath products anymore on my 'girlie bits'.  I mainly have showers but when I do have a bath I use Bicarb of Soda.  I also apply organic coconut oil after every bath or shower to keep 'things' moist.  I have a little bottle of water with a pinch of Bicarb in for when I am out especially if I am a bit sore etc etc. If I am home alone I go without nickers and let the air flow freelly !!!  I also go back to my doctor once a year to get her to 'check me out' to see if all is still okay.  Since I have stopped using soap/ bubble bath etc my vagina has improve a lot, no longer so dry and is now a pink colour.  I am 65 years old tmorrow and still having the dreaded hot flushes, even though I had a hysterectomy when I was in my early forties.  Stay positive and think happy thought Jess. All the best Suzanne x
    • Jess1612
      Jess1612 suzanne21762

      Posted

      Hi Suzanne you sound similar to me with history. I am already doing many of the things you mention above so I guess I am on track but that I you for the reassurance - your right worry is to going to help.  Happy Birthday for tomorrow xx 
  • kathryn07219
    kathryn07219 dani2590

    Posted

    Same here!  My labia minora gradually faded away and I am left with hardly anything at one side and a piece of thin, scraggy skin at the other.  The labia majora are still there but somewhat deflated.  The problem with losing these protective coverings is that any seams on underwear rub horribly, starting off another bout of LS - and I miss the "padding" when climbing over things!  Couldn't possibly ride a bicycle (so there is an up side!).
  • dani2590
    dani2590

    Posted

    Oh I can't believe what I'm reading! That feeling of being open as Suzanne said is exactly how I feel! And I also have one straggy bit of a skin on one side. I'm 25 and have this so I'm feeling even more frightened now..

    When standing up the labia majora seem to protect the area.

    I went to my usual gynecologist for a routine pap last year and she didn't say anything. In fact when she wrote me a referral for a specialist when I first complained of LS symptoms she wrote no sign of architectural changes in the report.

  • dani2590
    dani2590

    Posted

    Kathleen I think your right in saying it was subtle. Like I said I had no reason to look down there. The only person who would've picked up is my partner of almost 6 years and he never mentioned anything.

    Does the skin get dry more easily as there's no lips to keep it moist?

  • debbiesettle
    debbiesettle dani2590

    Posted

    Hi Dani,

    Over 3 or 4 months a section of my left inner labia has vanished and my right has shrunk it is like they are being absorbed by my body also the skin around my clitoris has become tighter and looks to be starting to cover over it! I hadn't noticed a doctors pointed it out, what a shock I got when I got home and had a good look. I felt a fool how could I have not noticed , but you don't study your bits in a mirror every day do you. This was when I was told they thought I had LS! I am back in hospital today for results of biopsies. Hopefully I should know more but I'm not holding my breath.

    • dani2590
      dani2590 debbiesettle

      Posted

      Exactly Debbie, you don't study your bits every day, even more so when you feel normal down there.

      I have no memory of what I looked like 5 years ago or 10 years ago down there. So I have no benchmark to compare which is frustrating.

  • samantha1970
    samantha1970 dani2590

    Posted

    Hi Dani,

    im in a similar boat, I've lost the left inner labia too. I'm wondering if estrangement cream may help as I've read it helps return the skin to its normal condition. But don't know if it helps with shrinkage/disappearance. I was going to ask my doctor in a couple of weeks when I see her.

    Samantha

  • daisycliper
    daisycliper dani2590

    Posted

    Hi:  I used clobetasol for 7 years.  I never had any flare ups.  I went off the clob about a year ago.  The ridges inside my vagina were going away.  I started using a product called Licrogel that is no longer made any more.  I did not have any flare ups for the last year.  I recently have noticed not fusing but the shrinkage of one of my lips, too.  I was wondering whether women using clob don't have shrinkage, whether discontinuing the clob allowed that to happen.
    • ChrissyC
      ChrissyC daisycliper

      Posted

      I have kept up with Clobetesol from being diagnosed and prescribed but it didn't stop me losing all my labia minora both sides quite rapidly and I'm now smooth and open as Dani and Suzanne have said.
  • kathryn07219
    kathryn07219 dani2590

    Posted

    I feel very fortunate in having seen a gynaecologist and a dermatologist who actually know about LS and LP.  This is my own experience: Clobetasol is the only decent treatment for LS and I was told to use it inside my vagina also, as necessary.  So - clobetasol is for gynae areas.  For other areas the dermatologist told me that the strongest ointment for this problem is mometasone and, if this doesn't work, there isn't anything else.  The clobetasol keeps the gynae areas ticking over well.  It doesn't repair anything but it stops the itch and soreness.  The mometasone treats itchy patches elsewhere but, in my case, I need to apply it for a few days in a row before I get any relief.  Again, it does not repair the skin but does control it.  With regard to the LP which I have in my finger and toe nails - there is no treatment.  If anybody has hair loss, I can recommend Viviscal tablets which you can buy online and which you need to take for a few months before you notice the difference.  Unfortunately, as I have found out, if you stop taking them, the hair fall starts again!
    • dani2590
      dani2590 kathryn07219

      Posted

      In all the time I've been treating my LS which is now for 6 months I haven't used clob. I was given betamethasone first for 2 months now using only a potent steroid called Advantan daily before bed.

      Like you said Kathryn the treatments are used to control it. All these months I've been applying meds thinking it's like some sort of rash that will go away. As the weeks go on its starting to sink in that nothing's going away. I wonder if I should mention clob to my specialist and see what she says.

    • kathleen65757
      kathleen65757 dani2590

      Posted

      Are you using the ointment instead of the cream? I use the ointment because it is absorbed very well. I like this one because it is less potent than most of the others.
    • dani2590
      dani2590 kathleen65757

      Posted

      Hi Kathleen. Yes I'm using the fatty ointment. Its slightly more thick than Vaseline. Do you rub it into the skin or just smear it on? I usually rub it in but not for 90 seconds. Maybe 10-15 at most.
    • kathleen65757
      kathleen65757 dani2590

      Posted

      It goes in quite well. I do try to rub it in but it then seems to absorb anyway. No need for 90 seconds! 
Back to top
Next

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.