Hydrocortisone cream for vulvar itching11/27/2023 ![]() While it is true that skin problems on female genital skin will be modified by the local conditions of heat, wetness, friction, and hormones, we want to state very clearly that from our research, the fundamental cause for almost all vulval symptoms is some sort of skin problem, not a ‘gynaecological’ one.Įven when a skin diagnosis is considered, the treatment is often not effective. This is why there are so many frustrated doctors, and so many unhappy patients. Not surprisingly, the treatments that have been developed from these diagnoses don’t work very well. The result, in our opinion, is diagnostic terms that can be misleading, such as ‘vestibulitis’ and ‘vulvodynia’. These women are often referred to gynaecologists who haven’t been trained in dermatology. We believe these usually simple diagnoses are often missed by doctors and health nurses because they are looking for a ‘gynaecological’ diagnosis, and therefore don’t think about the possibility of a dermatological cause for these symptoms. Most of the women we see with vulval symptoms actually have ordinary ‘common or garden variety’ dermatitis (also known as eczema). Vulval symptoms: often a skin problem, not a gynaecological one This is why many doctors may think that your vulval skin looks ‘normal’, when in fact there may be a subtle (but still significant) rash on it. These conditions also make these skin signs much more subtle. The local conditions of heat, wetness and friction modify the ‘text-book’ signs of skin disease when it occurs on the vulva. ![]() We believe that almost all vulval problems are due to various types of skin disorders: the problem with recognising these skin problems is that they do not look the same as when they occur on ‘outside’ skin, for example, the hand. You may have had the frustrating experience of being told by your doctor that they cannot see any visible abnormality on your vulval skin, even though you are experiencing a lot of discomfort in this area. It should be stressed, however, that the oral contraceptive pill does not cause or exacerbate an oestrogen allergy, which is caused by a woman’s own natural oestrogens. It has been suspected for some time, and recently proven to exist by research done by Dr Fischer and her colleagues. Oestrogen allergy is something that you may not have heard of. We think that this ‘cycling’ discomfort is usually due either to thrush or to an allergy to the body’s natural oestrogen production. Sometimes, vulval discomfort may be worse at a particular time of the month, often at period time. These women are not ‘neurotic’: the natural lack of pain sensation in their vulval and vaginal regions has allowed the inflammation to become severe without their realising it. Some women with badly inflamed vulval skin do not even notice discomfort on entry to their vaginas, but will seek help from their doctors only when they have deep dyspareunia (abdominal pain during sex because of pelvic muscle spasm). This is why a patient will often state that her primary concern is painful sexual intercourse, and is surprised when we show her (using a mirror) how badly inflamed her vulval skin is. In fact, we have found that any vulval symptom may be due to just about any vulval diagnosis.Ī particular feature of vulval problems is that discomfort can often remain unnoticed until it becomes severe. For example, many women believe that an itch always means that they have vaginal thrush (candidiasis, monilia). It is important to understand that a particular symptom does not necessarily mean a particular diagnosis. Some of the words our patients use to describe their discomfort are: Vulval discomfort can take a wide variety of forms. We have known patients whose stories went back 25 years or more. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2014.03.Many women suffer in silence from annoying and distressing vulval symptoms, either because of embarrassment or because they believe (or have been told) that nothing can be done to help. Guidelines of care for the management of atopic dermatitis. Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils. Can eczema increase risk of asthma, hay fever, and food allergies? Atopic dermatitis and eczema symptoms & causes.Īmerican Academy of Dermatology Association. Contact dermatitis.īoston Children’s Hospital. How to treat eczema in babies.Īmerican Academy of Dermatology Association. Home remedies: What can relieve itchy eczema?Īmerican Academy of Dermatology Association. ![]() What causes eczema?Īmerican Academy of Dermatology Association. Eczema in children.Īmerican Academy of Dermatology Association. 2014 59:460-4.Īmerican Academy of Dermatology Association. Systemic side-effects of topical corticosteroids.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |