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Chanign Vulvar Anatomy Unless This Condition is Treated

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Lichen Sclerosus
Lichen sclerosus is a chronic condition that will cause itching, burning, skin changes and eventually changes to your vulvar anatomy. It may make you more susceptible to yeast or bacterial infections, but discharge is not usually a common symptom from this condition alone. Women of any age can get this, cases as young as girls prior to puberty have been reported, it's not thought to be caused by infection. Looking at the conditions of the external tissues a physician cannot always make an accurate diagnosis, but the tissue has characteristic thin white paper look that has been called "cigarette paper" look. So the most accurate way to diagnoses is a biopsy
Severe Lichen Sclerosus with Ulceration
without a biopsy. If there is a condition that presents itself and then clears up with treatment, that may be a situation that wouldn't need a biopsy. But conditions that do not clear up with treatment especially are good cases for a biopsy. One sign physicians look for is how the condition affects you external anatomy. For certain patients, over years of the condition, the nature of your lichen sclerosus will change. Severe changes in the anatomy will occur. The changes occur because of the thinning and scarring of the tissues, and a tendency to change the anatomy of the external vaginal and vulvar tissues by forming bridges between the lips and scaring. Over time there can  even be obscuring of the clitoris or covering over the urethra where you urinate. This can be called a hooded clitoris and the tissue changes can interfere with orgasm as well. This is most often due to lichen sclerosus which is pictured above. Without treatment these anatomy changes will both persist and progress. So if you are noticing skin changes that seem to be persisting, please see your gyno and get an accurate diagnosis to prevent long term complications of this condition.  The treatments are usually very potent steroids that should be managed by a gyno. You cannot be cured, but the discomfort and dis-figuration can be managed.
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