Vulval skin problems can be very troubling and disabling for some women. Some of the more common vulval skin problems I see include:
- Lumps and other skin changes on the vulva
- Lichen Sclerosus
- Chronic itching (pruritis) of the vulva which has failed standard treatment
- Possible pre-cancerous changes (called VIN) as well as suspected vulval cancer.
- Poorly healed scars after delivering your baby.
I will obtain a detailed history from you about your previous problems and treatments offered. I will sometimes need to perform a Vulvoscopy examination (which is essentially a similar examination as a Colposcopy on the cervix). Based on this, it might be necessary to sometimes take a small biopsy (a tiny piece of skin tissue) under local anaesthetic for confirmatory diagnosis. A plan of treatment will then be instituted based on this. Some vulval conditions like Lichen Scelrosus are chronic in nature and may need long term management.
Treatments for vulval skin problems:
I offer the following medical and surgical management for vulval skin problems.
- Antifungal and antibiotic treatment for infections
- Hormone creams for severe skin changes from the menopause.
- Steroid skin applications for chronic skin problems (I will on occasion refer you to a skin specialist who specialises in vulval skin conditions for this)
- Simple excisions of lesions, VIN and warts
- Laser to warts and other skin problems
- More major surgery for extensive VIN as well as cancer of the vulva.